


War in Ruins

by Tmntfreaken



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Bay Movies), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Apocalypse, Betrayal, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Dark, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Infection, Love, M/M, Male Slash, Mental Health Issues, Minor Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Semi-Public Sex, Sex, Survival, Trauma, Turtlecest (TMNT), Violence, Zombie Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-22
Updated: 2020-12-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:08:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 33,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24862063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tmntfreaken/pseuds/Tmntfreaken
Summary: War in RuinsTorn between love and duty as they fight the dead for the sake of the living, a battle with their past as much as their present with a mission to secure their future. Life is filled with endless struggles but at least they have each other.Leonardo/RaphaelWarning: Turtlecest, Gore, Death.
Relationships: Leonardo/Raphael (TMNT)
Comments: 30
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

**War in Ruins**

Part One

* * *

The stench from the gore covering their armored bodies made him want to find a peaceful place and throw up. He would never get used to the smell of rotting flesh.

Their small group of scavengers and soldiers had been forced to split, not prepared for how many of the dead they would run into on the way to the Shopping Center. The ones who made it out alive knew where to meet them later once the mission was completed.

The dust from cement was heavy in the air, stirred by the bodies of the dead as they dragged their limbs around the wreckages of the Center.

Taking in their surroundings, they located the pharmacy on the first floor, the only thing standing between them and their goal was the dead, more than they could handle on their own, one single wrong step would have them swarmed in seconds, another stealth mission as many others they'd had in the past.

They found hiding behind one of the information desks, heart rates rising as their movement stirred loud screams and aggravated clicking noises from the infected. Taking a deep breath each, gathering their nerves, they waited for the opportunity to quickly go through the plan once more and make their move.

Finally noticing the dead dispel themselves around them, they had their chance, keeping their voices low.

“So, let's hear it Fearless, how do we get up there?” Raphael opened the visor of his helmet and his brother did the same.

“We move along the sides, take cover in the stores if we have to and we stick with the Schrade daggers” Leonardo adjusted his gloves, now a dark brown color from earlier interferences. He continued.

“But only if we absolutely have to, I don't want to take any unnecessary risks and having us make a run for it”

“An' how do we get to the stairs? They're in the middle, there's no way we can get to 'em without gettin' seen”

“Fire escapes, if the doors aren't locked or blocked we can take those stairs but we won't know until we get there, we got three sets of stairs to try out, one of them has got to be clear” Leo explained.

“And if the pharmacy's already stuffed with livin' corpses?”

“Then we're going to have to find a way to lure them out”

“Let's get this shit over with” Raph grunted and the visor came back down over his eyes.

They moved slowly and cautiously along the walls, darkness of the night to their advantage, the brightness of the moon being their only source of light through the part of the roof that had collapsed. Stopping abruptly when their path were blocked by the rotten, they ducked into the store closest to them, taking cover behind racks of abandoned clothing, reeking of mold, while they waited for the blockage to clear. The second it did, they were back against the walls, reaching the doors of the first fire escape, Leonardo took a firm grip around the door handles as he signaled to Raphael to guard their backs. Leonardo pushed against the doors with as much force as he could manage without making a sound but none of the doors would budge. Releasing the pressure there was a slight creak as the wood settled back into place, breath caught in Leo's throat, he quickly turned around as Raphael pierced the skull of a _Screamer_ before it could make a sound, catching the body on the way down to avoid further attention. Raph wiped the blood off the dagger on his pant leg before hooking it back in his belt.

After several attempts to get to the second fire escape they realized it wouldn't be possible to get there, getting close enough would be suicide with all of the dead laze about the exit so they decided to go for the third one, their last shot to manage to get upstairs somewhat safely.

The doors were unlocked but blocked by boxes on the other side, nothing they couldn't force aside but doing it without a sound would be impossible. Raphael grabbed a piece of concrete off the floor and showed Leo, giving him a seconds warning to what he was about to do. Leo grabbed the handle, giving Raph a quick nod and without hesitation, Raph threw the piece of concrete towards the opposite end of the Center, hitting a display window and the sound of breaking glass echoed on the walls. Screams and clicking followed seconds later and as a herd of infected gathered and ran towards the noise, Leonardo forced the door open, shoving the boxes aside as he went. They closed the door behind them once they were on the other side, Leo hastily checked the staircase while Raph replaced the boxes to block the door once again. He also found an old rustic water pipe barely holding on to the wall, he ripped it right off and placed it through the handles, dusting off his gloves Raph turned to follow his brother up the steps to the upper floor.

They found the exit on the first floor blocked as well, whoever did this tried to keep the emergency exits clear, much to their benefit. Clearing the door, they opened it silently. Right in front of Leonardo stood a rotten, without a second thought, Leo pulled his dagger from his belt, stabbing it straight in the eye, blood stained his vision through his helmet. With a twist of his wrist there was a sickening, cracking sound and something like a whimper escaped the dead before it fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Leo furiously wiped at his helmet with the sleeve of his jacket to clear the blood. Raphael moved past him, taking the lead and was relieved to see that their route towards the pharmacy was completely vacant. Most of the dead were now assembled on the bottom floor, having heard the window breaking but now time was limited, the window wouldn't distract them forever and a single sound coming from them upstairs would be enough to have them all run up here.

They reached the pharmacy and as they had predicted, the shelves where still properly stocked, the Center being run down early had made this location too dangerous to loot. This mission had been on hold for months in hopes that the rotten would move along and better the odds to reach the supplies inside but now they couldn't wait any longer, the medicine was highly needed back in base.

The brothers filled their backpacks with as much as they could fit in them, prioritizing the most important meds and wound supplies while trying to avoid bottles of pills as much as they could, fearing the rattle would expose them.

“You got enough?” Leo asked as he zipped his backpack shut.

“Yeah, let's move out” Raph secured the strap of his backpack around his waist, not taking any risk of it being ripped from his back.

The moment they stepped out of the pharmacy an ear piercing scream could be heard close to their right before they saw the _Screamer_ running towards them and before Leo could object, Raph pulled his revolver from its holder and shot it right between the eyes. The next few seconds moved in slow motion as the herd of the dead reacted to the gunshot and charged into full sprint towards them.

“Raphael, what have you done?” Leonardo was stunned before rage took over but now was not the time to beat up his brother for disobeying orders.

“Move it Leo, we're makin' a run for it!” Raph grabbed Leo's arm and dragged him towards the emergency exit, slamming the door behind them. Skipping steps on their way down, they threw the boxes and pipe away from the door on the bottom floor, got out and as expected, the dead had cleared out, most of them now on the first floor. They ran towards the main exit, not looking back as they could hear the screams fading the faster they ran.

Their teams meeting spot was about two miles away right outside the city. What would normally be an easy and quick jog for the brothers now turned into a maze of stealth and a lot of luck, having to avoid streets filled with infected people who wouldn't waste any time before killing the moment they got a hold of them.

They made it to the spot right before sunrise, the truck they'd all arrived in was still parked where they'd left it. When they got close enough they removed their helmets and were greeted by Armin and Cannon, two of their forces most advanced soldiers and the men Leonardo trusted to take charge when he wasn't there. Raphael ignored their greetings and headed straight for the truck, worn out and no patience for conversation.

“It pains me to say but we lost Monty tonight, he ran into a dead end and we couldn't get to him in time” Cannon explained, the pain and stress clearly showing on the young man's face. Cannon wasn't a day older than twenty-five but had already seen enough suffering for two lifetimes, as they all had.

“He was a great man and a brave soul, we'll take our last farewell back in base, we should move” Leonardo forced his emotions aside to deal with them later and mourn their fallen friend but right now he needed to get his team back to base where they were safe.

All of them got inside the truck and drove off, Leonardo fought to stay awake as the adrenaline left his veins. There were still reports to be made back in base and he needed every image fresh in his mind as he explained it to his superiors, sleep was out of the question.

Then there was Raphael who had to be dealt with, his disobedience almost killing them both but it would have to wait until they were alone, Leonardo had too much respect for his brother to berate him in public.

He had a long day ahead of him.

* * *

The tall gates opened for them as they drove up, the guards on the wall lowering their rifles as soon as they realized who they were. They parked the truck and everyone got out, Armin handed the keys over to the mechanic in charge before rejoining his group.

“I want everyone in the meeting tent in three hour with detailed reports, in the meantime, get some sleep if you need it” Leonardo turned his gaze towards Raphael who seemed to be more interested in the dirt on the ground than his orders.

“Raphael, you come with me, we've got an infirmary to restock” Leonardo finished and the group disbanded, going in opposite directions. Raphael didn't speak a word the entire walk, Leo found the silence to be a blessing, not trusting his temper if Raphael suddenly started defending his previous actions.

The infirmary was located in an old High school building on the other end of camp, it was one of few buildings that had stayed intact after the military bombed the small city they'd turned into their base in attempt to swiftly wipe out the infected. Knocking on one of the office doors inside, they could hear a mumbled “come in”. Donnie was by his desk, sheets of paper taking up the majority of space in unorganized bundles. The rest of the room looked like a regular examination room you could find in any hospital. There were a total of three cots rolled up next to each other, drapes in between to offer some sort of privacy. Steal countertops trailed along the walls on both sides of the room and over them were hanging cupboards, filled with medical supplies or, at least they would be now after their succeeded mission.

“Morning Donnie” Leonardo greeted as he closed the door behind him and Raph. Donnie looked the same as ever with his white coat, stethoscope hanging around his neck and glasses that refused to stay in place.

Donnie's eyes left the papers and came to rest upon them, taking in the appearance of his two brothers, not trying to hide the surprise on his face.

“I see you two had a rough night, I hope none of that is yours” Donnie replied, referring to their bloodstained armor.

Leonardo removed his backpack, carried it over to one of the countertops and unzipped it, reveling its content to the doctor. Don grabbed the pack and dug threw it with eager hands, clearly impressed with all they managed to gather.

“Raphael's got more in his, it should be enough for a while, there's still a lot left that we could scavenge from there but we'll have to wait a few week before going back, our escape wasn't exactly smooth” Leo explained while Raph placed his backpack next to Leo's on the counter, ignoring eye contact. Leo could tell Raphael was working hard to keep quiet, his strong jaw clenching in annoyance.

“This is excellent, I must say your team really outdid yourselves this time around, that Center is a death trap and I honestly thought you would reconsider once you got there and saw the extent of infected” Don started placing supplies in their right places as he spoke.

“Monty didn't make it, we'll have a memorial service for him in a few days” Suddenly Leo felt how exhausted he actually was and speaking the death of Monty aloud made his chest ache. Donnie had stopped working the second he heard the news.

“I'm sorry to hear that, he was a loyal soldier and I know he meant a lot to you” There was a minute of silence before Donnie continued, changing the topic.

“You should go clean up before you speak to the council or they might hand you further restrictions for your next mission, after this, your team will be considered too valuable for unnecessary risk taking” Leonardo nodded in response while removing one of his gloves to rub at his temple, feeling a migraine slowly sneaking up on him.

“Yes, you're right, we'll speak to you later Donnie” The gore covered brothers left without another word, heading towards the school's gym and it's showers, collecting clean uniforms on their way.

In the locker rooms they undressed, the dried blood on their clothes crusted as they were removed and tossed to the floor. They made sure to keep their eyes and mouths closed as they pulled the shirts over their heads. Removing the armor on arms and legs, they stretched, finally having the full flexibility of each limb once again.

The hot water from the showers did wonders in lowering Leo's stress level, he sighed loudly and placed both palms on the shower wall, letting the hot stream hit the back of his neck. Raphael was right next to him and looked more at ease as well. The amber eyed brother started scrubbing his biceps and decided to break the silence.

“So, ya gonna yell at me already so we can move on from this?” Raph mumbled, barely audible over the running water.

Leonardo took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts, he wanted this over with as well. Straightening his back, he turned to face his brother.

“Maybe my orders are too unexciting for you but next time you want to get you adrenaline pumping, keep me out of it, you can gamble with your life as much as you please but you have no right to bet mine”

“Ya know tha´ _Screamer_ had already done the damage, shooting it didn't change a damn thing an' we were gonna have to run out of there with or without the gunshot!” Raphael's tone was confident.

“You don't know that, those things scream all the time, it doesn't mean the rest of the rotten would've reacted!” Leo grew impatient.

“Oh as if taking our chances getting bitten by it in close battle is so much safer?, like hell I'm gonna stand by and wait ta see what happens, I gave us a clear way out and you damn well know it!” Raph's fists clenched as he spoke.

“Yes, because the streets were so much safer after your gunshot alarmed every single dead a miles radius from the Center!” Leo said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Ya can blame me as much as you want Leo, but we got outta there alive, we got what we came for and the mission is done, if you wanna keep on dwellin' over how we coulda done shit differently, you do that but ta me, this was a job well done!”

“If I can't trust you to follow my orders when we're out there then I have no use for you and you'll have to be replaced, whether the mission gets completed or not, the loyalty of my men comes first”

“There's more ways than your way Leo an if ya could pull your head outa your ass, you'd see that I've saved your life more times than you can count!” Raph said, clearly agitated.

The silence stretched in the shower room, Leo took a moment to reflect on his brothers words, Raphael had saved his life on multiple occasions in the past an Leo was aware of that, the issue wasn't necessarily his brother's methods but the fact that his direct orders were ignored. This wasn't the first time they'd had this argument and that they now had to have it once more only riled Leo's temper more.

“You're unbelievable” Leo stated, turning away from the larger turtle to soap himself clean, done with his brother for now. Leo could hear himself how he started to sound like a broken record in his attempts to get his hotheaded brother to listen, maybe a change in approach could help?

“An' you're a stuck up bitch” Raph replied.

Leo sighed in response, exhausted and tired of their one track fighting. He glanced over at his brother, noticing how wet skin glistered under the stream of water from the shower head above him. Leo's eyes couldn't help but wander down the length of Raphael's muscular arms, his throat drying as strong soap covered hands washed every curve of the scar covered plastron and then Leo's eyes came to rest on the many mended cracks along his brother's shell, bringing back horrible memories he longed to forget. 

"Raph, I know I don't tell you this enough but...I love you, you know that right?" Leo said as Raph stopped moving , eyes locked on the tile flooring.

With two long steps, Raph left the stream of his shower to join Leo under his and pushed Leo's shell up against the shower wall, the loud thud echoing over the tiles. Lips locking as tongues circled each other's. Raph forced his thigh in between Leo's, spreading his legs slightly as he kissed and sucked down Leo's throat, leaving subtle marks behind. A soft moan escaped Leo's lips as Raph's hands stroked up and down his sensuable sides between shell and plastron, fingertips coming to linger on hipbones while rubbing his thigh carefully against the leaner turtles erection.

Leo felt Raph's hand moving slowly towards his aching crotch and reminded himself that he had to be the voice of reason here, he took a hold around Raph's wandering wrist to stop him, swallowing his own desires and desperately tried to steady his voice.

“Wait Raph, we can't do this here, anyone could walk in and see us” Leo explained but didn't sound very convincing even to his own ears.

“Everyone's sleepin' Leo, no one's gonna shower this early an' if they were, they'd already be in here, now come on, we need this” Raph said as he continued kissing along Leo's neck, licking over the strong pulse he found there.

Leo only nodded and closed his eyes, not having the willpower to refuse. With a hushed whisper of encouragement from the larger turtle, Leo moved his cock into Raph's awaiting hand and couldn't suppress a groan as thick emerald fingers wrapped around it painfully hard, knees almost giving up beneath him.

“You too” Leo said, voice hoarse as his breathing shortened thanks to Raphael's clever hands.

Raphael didn't waste any time doing what he was told. Leo took his brothers cock in his hand, feeling the strong veins as he pumped him slowly. Raphael thrusted his hips forward to speed up the friction in his lovers hand and quickened his own hands pace on Leo's member as well. Raph knew he wouldn't be able to hold out long while looking at Leo's flushed face, blue eyes hooded and teeth biting down on his bottom lip as he stubbornly tried to silence the sounds of pleasure threatening to escape.

Their breaths came out heavy, chest plates scraping against the others as Leo's shell pressed hard against the wet tiles.

“Ya close?” Raph breathed, his forehead resting on Leo's shoulder as he could feel himself balancing on the edge of release.

“Mmmh, yes” Leo replied and a few strokes later his breath caught in his throat, eyes clenching shut and body tensed as long strands of white flowed over Raphael's hand and were quickly washed down the drain.

The larger turtle, seeing and feeling his lovers climax, were pushed over the edge, he let out a loud grunt as his orgasm dulled his mind. 

They took a minute to catch their breath and for their legs to stop shaking. Suddenly they were hit by ice cold water from the shower head as the warm water ran out, quickly stepping out from under the cold stream they turned the showers off.

“Whoever gets here after us is gonna be pissed” Raph couldn't help but laugh. Feeling relaxed and content he took Leo's face in his hands and kissed him deeply, Leo's hands rested on his chest as he returned the kiss, humming happily.

“Love ya too, Fearless” Raph grinned after breaking the kiss.

Leo smiled back, feeling his heart flutter.

They dried themselves off and dressed in their clean uniforms. Back outside they stepped back into their individual roles. Their camp was made up by different chains of command, like any other military base, the difference being they weren't military for the government, they were their own individual base with their own rules and way of living, their council making the final call of every decision made before taking action.

Leonardo excused himself, it was time to report the night's event to the council who he assumed had not slept either. Most of the City Hall had been demolished by the bombings but after an incredible reconstruction job and clean up, parts of it was now in full use, mostly for housing and workspace for the council. The guards surrounding the City Hall didn't pay him any attention as he entered the building. Walking down the corridor towards the old conference hold where they usually had their meetings, he was met and greeted by one of the four council members, his father.

“Good morning my son, I'm relieved to see you have returned unharmed, I haven't had the chance to speak to Raphael, is he well?”

“Yes father, we're both fine”

“Good, I'll inform the other members that you have arrived” And Splinter left to go collect the three missing members.

The members joined him in the hold shortly after and took their seats along the long table at the altar. Leonardo was standing in front of them, back straight and arms behind his back. Splinter was seated at the far left, beside him sat Bryon, a military veteran around the same age as his father. Then there was Seth and June, younger but the same amount of experience in the field. Leonardo had great respect for every member of the council.

Without missing a single detail, Leonardo went through the night's events from start to finish. He knew that Raphael would get in trouble because of his irrational behavior with the gun but made sure to tell the council everything, including the explanation Raph had given him afterwards. The members didn't say or ask anything as Leonardo spoke, only nodded or hummed occasionally.

The silence stretched once Leo had finished his report, he could tell the council was evaluating everything he'd just told them. Seth was the first one to speak.

“Well, first of all, we're very grateful for a job well done captain, even though you and your team were faced with hardships along the way, however, with the odds you were against you shouldn't have engaged in the first place, supplies can be found elsewhere, your lives are irreplaceable”

“I acted as I saw fit, we had the situation under control for the most part and now the infirmary is restocked and prepared for whoever might need treatment”

"And a life was lost under your command captain, a man that was close to you if I'm not mistaken" Seth countered.

"Like I explained earlier, my team had to split up, if I'd been there things might have turned out differently but I can't change that now" Leo explained, ignoring the building guilt in his gut. 

Another moment of silence followed, Leo had done his part, now it was up to the council what to do next.

“Very well, let's move on to other matters” June said as she pulled up a map and unfolded it on the table, waving Leo to come closer to have a look.

“We've managed to get in contact with another establishment to the west along the coast, there's been mentions about possible trading opportunities in the future if what we could offer would interest them, our self-sufficient production of ammunition is enough to interest anyone” June explained and took a second to find her wording,

“But we can't simply trade with just anyone, we need to know who these people are and if they're a threat or not. That's where you and your team comes in, we want you to travel to the coast, find this establishment and gather as much information as you can, you don't make contact with them until you're certain they're worth negotiating with, start by studying them from afar, see who comes and goes.” June finished.

Leo searched the map and saw the marking on the coast, traveling there would take about two days if they drove without any stops and assuming the weather wouldn't make the roads muddy.

“And when would we leave?” Leo asked.

“Tomorrow morning, the sooner we get this ball rolling the better” Bryon spoke for the first time that morning.

“Alright, I will have a talk with my men, they've just lost a comrade and I need to be sure they're all in the right mental state for this mission” Leonardo answered and stepped back from the table.

“We'll make sure you have the men you need but nonetheless, your group leaves tomorrow as soon as the sun rises, are we done here?” Bryon got up from his chair, clearly not a morning person.

After going through a few more details of the mission the rest of the members rose, thanked Leonardo one more time and gave him the map before he was dismissed. Deep in thought he made his way across the city square to see his men in the meeting tent.

Stepping inside the tent, he could see that Raphael and Cannon were already there and cleaning their guns. The rest of the soldiers would be joining them within minutes but Leo silently thanked the higher powers for giving him a moment of piece before the meeting would start.

Leo unfolded the map on the lit table in the center of the tent and pulled a folder out from one of the desks, finding yesterday's inventory charts and started on a new one for what they would need for the mission. Lost in his work, Leo jumped as he felt a heavy hand fall on his shoulder, startled he turned his head to see his brothers confused expression.

“You okay there bro? Didn't mean to scare ya” Raph grinned, patting his shell.

Leo took a swift look around the tent and saw that all his men were there, waiting for him to start the meeting, straightening from the table and cleared his throat he turned to Cannon and requested his report on what had happened after they split, then the route that had led to Monty's death.

One single wrong turn had ended Monty's life. Cannon had called off the operation, accepting the danger was too great and the Center being too far off for them to be able to reach. Cannon ordered they turn around, wishing Leonardo and Raphael had better luck.

They'd been forced to run and Monty fell behind the group, his scream had the team turn back but when they got there it was too late, Monty was already buried underneath a mountain of infected.

The men in the tent took a silent minute for their fallen friend, memories of Monty swept through Leonardo's mind and to the conversation they'd had right before leaving the night before, boosting each other up for the mission. Monty had been young and inexperienced when he'd joined the base and Leo had taken him under his care and taught him everything he needed to know. Once Monty's self-confidence reached its peak he got along with everyone, no one had a bad thing to say about the man.

“I know Monty was close to all of you as he was to me and we are all grieving at this very moment but we also need to focus on what needs to get done.” Leo said and then explained the new mission he'd just received from the council right before their meeting started.

“I will not put any blame on you if you decide to stay behind but for those of you who decides to join me, we leave tomorrow morning as soon as the sun rises, that is all for now” Leo finished and loud discussions took place as the men left the tent, leaving Leo to get back to his charts.

Raphael grabbed a chair and sat it down close to the table, turning it around, resting his arm on the back of it as he sat down and studied Leo as his brother's full focus were on the papers in front of him. Cannon stopped by Raph's side and fist bumped him without effort and told him to meet him at the pub later in the evening before he too left the tent, leaving the brothers alone.

“So, are ya actually gonna go an' get some sleep or do I need to knock you out myself an' drag ya to bed?” Raph asked, even though he was joking he knew that the possibility for the later to happen was not impossible.

“I will, as soon as I'm done with this” Leo answered, not lifting his eyes from the table.

“Ya know you don't have to do that right, people can do that for ya”

“I'm aware, but I want to do it”

“Yeah right, you just don't trust anyone else with it”

“Did you need something or are we done here?” Leo said abruptly before Raph could continue his accusations.

Raph was caught off guard by Leo's edgy tone, then his patience faltered, if Leo wanted to work himself into an early grave than he had better things to do than stand in his way. Raph got up from his chair and headed towards the exit.

“Fine, deal with your shit, see if I give a fuck” Raph said, not looking back as he left the tent.

Leo sighed, not having the patience or time for Raphael's temper, he had a mission to plan for.

* * *

Raph met Cannon at the pub later that afternoon after he'd managed to get a few hours of sleep. The pub was louder and more crowded than usual, everyone around them seemed to be in great spirits. The pub had been built in the camp to bring some kind of normality for the soldiers and a way to unwind after a long day of hard training. It wasn't in anyway fancy but the bar built out of pinewood and the tables and chairs spread around was more than enough, not to mention their own brewed beer. The friends took their regular seats at the bar and engulfed in their usual conversations about sports, cars and women. They laughed as Cannon shared some crazy stories from his life before he'd joined the base as numerous empty pints of beer gathered in front of them over time.

“Heard you guys are heading out tomorrow, maybe time to slow down a little eh?” Mikey picked up the empty glasses and placed them in the dish bin, a smirk on his face as he watched his brother and his friend wobbling on their stools.

“Mike? When did you get here?” Raph asked as he took another sip of his beer.

“Just now, I always work the late shift dude” Mikey laughed as he placed the dish bin in the small window in the wall behind the bar, where the busboy would pick it up and get its content washed.

“Right, well get me another beer then” Raph said as he finished of the one he was holding in his hand.

“Last one Raph or Leo's gonna kill me” Mikey warned, still with an amused smile on his face. Mikey didn't really care what Leo thought, Raphael was a big boy and could decide for himself. Mikey pulled a clean glass from under the bar and filled it up.

“Another one Cannon?” Mikey asked as he handed Raphael his beer.

“Nah, it's getting late and if I drink more I'm gonna throw up in the car tomorrow, curse car sickness am I right?” Cannon got up from his barstool, holding onto the bar to keep his balance.

Mikey already knew that Cannon would be dealing with a massive hangover tomorrow, he felt sorry for anyone who would have to share a car with him. He watched Raph and Cannon embrace in a friendly hug before wishing each other good night, then Cannon stumbled out of the pub.

“Haven't seen you in a while Raph, be honest, are you avoiding me?” Mikey grinned, resting his chin in his palm.

“Yeah, I got tired of seein' your ugly face”

“Ouch, my feeling are hurt, you always know how to break my poor heart” Mikey teased.

“Fucking idiot”

“So bro, any particular reason you wanna piss Leo off or is it just the usual?” Mikey asked and grabbed a clean cloth and wiped off the rings the glasses had left behind on the bar top.

“Who cares if he gets pissed, he can fuck off” Raph grunted.

“Alright? Did something happen?” Mikey got curious, his older brothers fights could be somewhat entertaining as long as they didn't get violent.

“When doesn't shit happen, doesn't matter what I do, to him there's always somethin' I'm doin' wrong” Raph took a mouthful of his beer and swallowed hard, feeling his mood drop, remembering how Leo had cut him off earlier, he'd only tried to be fucking considerate for once.

“He's just under a lot of stress bro, it's nothing personal, I bet he would've loved to sit here with us, chill and take a night off but he's not allowed to, duties of a captain an' all that” Mikey explained.

“If you’re gonna fucking defend him, don't talk to me!” Raph roared, a few heads turning his way to see what was going on. Mikey hands lifted in defeat, showing that he was stepping back.

“Have it your way Raph, I've got work to do anyway but you're being overdramatic, go sleep it off” and with that Mikey left to serve other clients.

Raphael emptied his glass with another few mouthfuls and then got up from his stool. His balance was off and he knew he was drunk but he didn't care, he left the pub and went out into the cool night air and took a few deep breaths. Raph could see the meeting tent from where he was standing, it was closed but the lights were on inside and against his better judgment, that were now nonexistent in his drunken state, he walked up the road towards the tent.

Leonardo had not moved from where Raph had seen him earlier that morning, but were now seated by the table instead of standing, still writing, working. His jacket had been taken off and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows. Leo was resting his head in his palm, thumb massaging his temple, the bags under his eyes showed how exhausted he was and Raph's chest ached at the sight. Any anger he'd felt before entering the tent melted away and now all he wanted to do was take Leo in his arms.

Leo didn't pay any attention to Raph as he entered the tent but he didn't mind, instead he just walked up behind his brother and wrapped his arms around Leo's chest while placing soft kisses on his neck.

“You reek of alcohol” Leo stated, eyes still set on the papers.

“I know, 'm sorry, I've missed you” Raph's lips kissed down Leo's shoulder before making his way up towards his throat again, his hands caressing back and forth across the hard plastron, cursing the uniform for preventing him from feeling skin under his hands.

“You should go and sleep it off, it's late” Leo said as he grabbed a blank paper and continued writing.

“Mhm…how 'bout you come with me?”

“We can't sleep in the same bed Raphael, no one can know”

“Who cares, beside who would even have the balls to speak aloud 'bout who their mighty captain spreads his legs for even if anyone did find out?” Raph smirked even though he knew his lover couldn't see it, his words slightly slurred as his hands went down and began to unbuckle Leo's belt.

“Flattering mental image” Leo said, sarcasm evident as a smile spread across his face at the feeling of his belt coming lose and the button on his pants opening.

With a kiss at the crook of Leo's neck, Raph pulled down the zipper and his hand went in under the fabric, carefully fondling his lovers cock through the white boxers, feeling it harden beneath his touch. Raphael pulled the boxers aside, leaving Leonardo's erection on full display under the table before grabbing his length with a steady hand, pumping it slowly up and down while speaking in between kisses on his neck.

“So you refuse to go to bed?” Raph asked, giving another slow stroke and continued.

“Guess I'm gonna have ta fuck you so hard your brain won't be able to make any more plans tonight” Raph felt Leo's cock strain in his hand, now fully erect and he could see the beginning of precum leaking from the tip.

“Bet you'd loved to be spread right here on the table, letting me fuck you so good, knowing anyone could walk in at any second and see you, begging me to fuck you harder” Raph bit down hard on Leo's shoulder through his shirt.

“Ahh…Raph please…” Leo whimpered, using every ounce of self-control to keep his voice down.

“Please what Fearless? Begging already? I haven't even started yet” Raphael's hand sped up, showing no mercy and Leo's hand came up and grabbed Raph's shoulder, fist clenched to the fabric of the stronger turtles uniform.

“You want me ta make ya scream? To make every single one of your soldiers know what I'm doing to ya right now?”

Leonardo wanted to scream, more than anything else, his lovers words with the fear of getting caught in this public setting was the most erotic thing he'd experienced thus far and it got his blood pumping in a rapid speed, Leo wasn't sure he could handle much more of it.

“I wanna see ya cum all over those plans you've worked so hard on”

“Nhnng…yes!” Leo felt the wave about to hit him, spreading his thighs wider to prepare for it, a few more strokes was all he needed.

“Leo, are you in there?” Donnie's voice, like a bucket of ice cold water had been thrown at them, Raph immediately let go of Leo's cock as Leo forced it back in his pants, zipping them and buttoning up as fast as he could, cursing the physical pain he felt at the denial of his release.

“Yes Donnie” Leo answered, glad his voice didn't crack.

Raphael had taken a few steps away from Leo and watched as his purple-banded brother entered the tent, Raph did everything in his power not to run over and beat the living shit out of the intruder.

“Oh hi Raph, didn't know you were in here too, glad I got to you before you went to sleep, could we speak for a minute Leo, in my office?” Don smiled, his hand gestured in the direction of the school.

“Sure Donnie” Leo got up from his chair and buckled his belt before putting on his jacket and joined the doc by the entrance. Donnie raised an eye ridge but didn't say anything. Leo turned to Raph with a slight smile on his lips.

“Good night Raphael, I'll see you tomorrow by the gates” and then the captain and doctor left together, leaving Raphael alone in the wide tent, not sure if he was pissed off or confused…or a little bit of both.

* * *

Raphael had never despised the sun so much in his life as when it came to shine straight in his face the next morning. His head felt like it was going to explode but that was his own fault, he couldn't blame anyone else for that. He got up from his bed and got dressed, he needed to stop by the infirmary to get some painkillers before getting his stuff ready.

He knocked on the door to Donnie's office but got no response so he let himself in and as he expected, the room was empty. Searching through the cupboards he finally found what he was looking for, took two pills out of the packet and swallowed them dry. He took a minute to look out the window, seeing people move about on the streets below, carrying bags and boxes, probably heading towards the gate to prepare their departure. The sky was clear without a single cloud in sight, it was going to be a hot day. Not wasting any more time, he got back to his room and packed his own bag, only bringing clothes, a toothbrush and his weapons, the task didn't take long. He smiled as he picked up his revolver from his nightstand, he really loved this damn thing, he'd found it on their first official job looting a police station in a small town not too far from their base and had kept it ever since. Raphael checked to make sure the gun was fully loaded, strapped it's holster around his thigh and the gun went inside it, then he grabbed the extra ammo from his drawer and filled his bag. Soon enough he was meeting up with the rest of his team by the gates, noticing the two cars and a truck prepared for them.

Cannon was the first one to greet him when he arrived, he looked like shit and Raph couldn't help but laugh him straight in the face as they threw their bags in the back of the truck, along with all the other equipment.

“Remind me to murder you when no one's looking” Cannon grunted, not having the energy to sound even a little bit threatening.

“Ain't my fault you can't hold your booze man, an' just so we're clear, you're not riding with me” Raph chuckled to himself as his friend flipped him off and left him to get inside one of the cars in the front.

Raphael's smile quickly faded as he turned around and saw his father heading straight towards him, his walking stick making a faint clicking noise as it hit the rocks on the ground.

“My son, good morning, I'm glad to see you are doing well” Splinter smiled.

“Yeah, you too” Raphael answered, suddenly not sure what to say.

“I hope this mission is as much a success as the previous, although it had it's up and downs” Splinter said with a soft tone.

Raphael visually tensed, not missing the subtle dig aimed at him, of course their father couldn't just show up and wish them a safe trip, there always had to be a lecture behind it.

“I'm sure we'll be fine” Raphael wanted to leave but couldn't as his father kept on talking.

“I had an interesting conversation with your brother Michelangelo as his shift ended this morning, he voiced some concerns over Leonardo and yourself, is everything alright between the two of you?” Splinter said as he tried to reach eye contact with his second oldest but Raphael refused to look at him and held his gaze towards the truck, closing and locking the truck trailer doors in place.

Raph wanted to punch Mikey's face in for blabbing his mouth to their father, none of them had any right to meddle in his business.

“Everything's as it should be father, you have nothin' to worry about” Raph answered, trying to keep his temper under control.

“I'm relieved to hear it, out there you only have each other to protect one another, arguments can cloud the mind, rush negative emotions and taint your judgment from making the right decisions. You understand my son why I do not wish to see you drive past those walls if you are not fully aware what you are heading towards”

Raphael only nodded, he knew what was waiting for them out there, he had full faith in the group of people he was leaving with and having Leo by his side, he knew nothing could stop them from getting this job done.

“Good morning father, brother, a lovely morning for a drive don't you think?” Leo came to stand next to their father, looking like he at least had gotten a few hours of sleep and seemed to be in a rather great mood.

“Good morning my son, we were just discussing the journey ahead of you” Splinter bowed his head in greeting out of old habit and Leo did the same.

“Yes, everything has been taken care of and we're about ready to head out, Raphael could you drive the truck for us?” The smile he received as Leo waited for his answer could have melted ice, his heart pounded harder in his chest as he quickly nodded, not trusting his voice.

Leo then threw the keys at him, which he easily caught with one hand. 

“Alright, let's get on the road then, we'll stay in touch father, Donnie's got all the radios set up so we'll update you daily at dawn” Leo explained.

“I'm looking forward to hearing from you my sons, take care of each other out there” Splinter gently patted Leo's arm in comfort.

“We promise and you take good care of yourself father” and with that the brothers said good-bye to their father and regrouped with their team by the vehicles.

Raphael opened the driver door and climbed the small steps to reach his seat inside the truck and then he inserted the key into the ignition. He saw the rest of the men get into the cars in front of him, they weren't a large group, a total of ten people, him and his brother included but these men were the best of the best and what they lacked in numbers they made up for in other ways. There was only one woman in their group, Bonnie, he would admit to have had a thing for her in the past like the rest of the guys around her, who wouldn't admire a strong woman who could fight her own damn battles? Then without warning, his interests did a 180 and landed on someone completely different.

Raph then heard the passenger door open and to his surprise, his brother climbed in, taking a seat next to him and closed the door. Raph could only stare for a second before he found his voice.

“I thought you were riding in the front?”

“Who told you that? Armin's got the map, they won't miss me back here and if they do they can just use the radio” Leo said as he pulled the radio from his belt and placed it on the instrument panel.

“Alright so…we're ready to go? Got a first stop in mind?” Raph asked as he considered fastening his seatbelt but decided not to.

“Almost, we'll have to see how far we get before it gets dark and take it from there” Leo answered, getting comfortable in his seat.

“We could take turns and drive through the night, save some time” Raph suggested.

“We're not in a hurry, it's not like they're going to pack up and leave before we get there, we can treat ourselves to a proper nights rest”

“It's your call Fearless” Raph smiled, happy to see the laid back attitude from his brother.

Raph turning the key, starting the engine, the cars in front of them did the same and the base gates opened up slowly. Sand was the only thing they could see straight ahead as they departed out of base and set their direction west, towards the coast.

* * *

End of part One.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Human deaths.

**War in Ruins**

Part Two

* * *

Raphael rolled down his window in a desperate attempt to cool himself down and in his peripheral, he could see his brother do the same, hoping for cross winds to flow through the trucks cabin. Raphael could usually stand the warm climate they'd chosen to build camp in, they were surrounded by desert after all, but even he had his limits. They had been driving for a couple of hours and the sun had reached its midpoint in the sky, radiating intense heat that absorbed into the infinite miles of sand around them.

Raphael glanced over at his brother and couldn't help a smile from spreading on his face as Leo rolled up the sleeves of his uniform, exposing the defined musculature of his forearms and the distinct veins beneath the skin.

“Eyes on the road” Leo said with a smirk, clearly amused.

Raph chuckled, his eyes once more locked forward.

“Ya know you could just take your shirt off, ain't like anyone can see us up here”

“I could but I wouldn't want to risk stealing your attention and having us crash into the cars in front of us” Leo said in a teasing tone.

“Ain't someone feelin' cocky today” Raph said as he smirked, it wasn't really a question but more a statement and Leo knew it.

“You must be rubbing off on me”

“Oh ya can rub me off whenever ya want” Raph countered, not able to hold back a laugh at Leo's unimpressed expression.

“Now who's being cocky? Besides, last time I checked you still owe me for last night” Leo answered, ignoring the feeling of his face heating up as the events from the night before replayed in his mind.

“Ain't my fault Don's a massive cockblock, what did he want anyway?”

“Just the usual protocol, checks, meds and radios, nothing I haven't heard before”

“Yet he insists on you hearing it every time before we leave base”

“It brings him a peace of mind and I'm happy to offer him that, it's not like he's asking for much” Leo explained, Donnie had every right to worry for them, he had experienced firsthand what one could run into on the road. So much so that the encounters made him quit the missions and dedicate his time towards medicine instead.

“Guess not but his timing still sucks” Raph said, his voice grumpy.

Silence stretched in the cabin for a few minutes while Leo gathered his thoughts.

“It was probably for the better, we shouldn't take risks like that, we were lucky Donny didn't walk straight in on us”

The idea of having anyone walk in on them in the middle of something like that sent a shudder through Leo's body, he couldn't imagine a more horrible way for their family and friends to find out.

“Yeah you keep sayin' that but whenever we get into it you're not exactly pushing me away”

Leonardo shuffled closer to Raphael on the joined seat of the truck, pressed his lips to Raph's shoulder and kissed it swiftly before resting his head on it. Leo knew his brother was right, he wasn't making much sense in the way he was acting but he also knew he couldn't help it, someone had to voice the issues but at the same time, Leo couldn't simply ignore his own feelings and desires. He wanted Raphael just as much as Raph wanted him, it was two sides of a coin Leo struggled with daily.

“The last thing I want is to push you away Raph, you know that”

“They're gonna find out sooner or later Leo, shit, I'm amazed we've been able to hide it this long”

“I know but…I want to do it right”

“There is no right or wrong way to tell 'em this, they're probably gonna freak no matter how we explain it an' we're just gonna have to deal with it” Raph explained, matter-of-factly.

“You make it sound so easy” Leo said, doubt weighing heavily in his tone.

“Or maybe ya just overcomplicate things”

The brothers were interrupted by the static sound from the radio before Armin's voice came through.

“Captain, there's a gas station on the map about 10 miles ahead, we could go for a quick stop, stretch our legs and see if there's anything worth taking”

Leo sat back up, grabbed hold of the radio and pushed down the speak button.

“Perfect, let's park ahead to avoid attention and walk the last mile, half will stay behind and guard the vehicles” Leo responded.

“Understood” Armin replied as Leo hooked the radio to his belt and moved back to his end of the seat.

Raphael could see his brother slip back into his role as captain and knew they would have to continue their personal matters later.

“You already knew about the gas station didn't you?” Raph asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes”

A short while later the group came to a stop, parking at an intersection alongside the narrow road were they would split up. They all got out from their vehicles and Raphael opened the doors to the trucks trailer, yanking his duffle bag open he retrieved some extra ammunition for his revolver along with his dagger that he returned to its rightful place on his belt. Cannon and the rest of the crew joined him and started to gather their own gear as Raphael pulled his wrist guards from his bag and strapped them on, in a close up struggle, the wrists were usually the first body part the rotten would try to sink their teeth into if they got the chance. Cannon handed Raph his armored vest and he accepted it with a nod, pulled it over his head and tightened the straps around his chest.

The vests Raphael and his brothers wore had been specially made to fit their unique physic, the armored part only covering their front, leaving their shells bare, not seeing the necessity to cover their most armored body part with more armor.

After the gear was in place and water had been distributed amongst the soldiers, they gathered in a half circle around Leo and waited for orders.

“Alright so Raphael, Cannon, Bonnie and I will go and clear the gas station while the rest of you stay behind and guard our supplies” Leo took a swift look between his men before continuing.

“Armin, I leave you in charge and I'll contact you as soon as we're certain the area is clear and safe to drive up to so we don't risk a herd swarming us and if anything should happen here while we're gone you let me know immediately, is that clear?”

“Yes sir”

“Good, keep the radio close, let's move” Leo finished as he swung his rifle over his shoulder.

The group split up in two, Raphael and Cannon eagerly took the lead as they walked towards the gas station with Leo and Bonnie following closely behind them.

It didn't take long before the station came into view, one could tell already from afar that the building was old and run down. All the windows had been destroyed as well as the doors, old beige paint chipped from the concrete and on one of the walls, there was a rusty sign saying “ _Truck service_ ” in bold letters.

Bonnie was the first to speak her mind, keeping her voice low.

“Doesn't look like much to be honest, doubt we're going to find anything useful in there”

“Well, if anything it could be a place to rest for a bit, this heat is seriously getting to me” Cannon said.

“Gas stations established after the 1920s had to have bunkers build beneath them in case of aerial bombings, that's what we're searching for, they're not commonly known to looters and are usually locked up tight and hard to find if you don't know where to look” Leo explained.

“And I bet you know where to look?” Bonnie asked, crossing her arms.

Bonnie was a smart woman in her mid-thirties who had spent her working days with the fire department, which had made her strong as well, a quality she'd kept up with throughout the year and made her levelheaded and dependable in a crisis. Leo had great respect for her and so had everyone else in her company and she never faltered in returning the respect she was given. 

“Hopefully, the more time we can spare inside the better” Leo replied.

“And what exactly are we gonna find down there?” Raph asked.

“If we're lucky, the owners turned the space into storage back when this place was running and if that's the case then food and auto supplies most likely”

The small group kept their steps light as they got close to the building while listening carefully for any sounds that didn't belong to them. Nothing could be seen moving around inside through the glassless windows but that didn't necessarily mean the place was empty. They each braced themselves along the walls of the building and Leonardo being the closest to one of the windows started searching the sand beneath it with his boot. Once he found a couple of sharp glass shards Leo picked them up and threw them through the window frame, hearing the glass break on the other side as it hit the ground. A silent moment passed without any indication of movement inside and then Leo nodded towards the others, signaling that the coast was clear.

One after the other they made their way into the building. Still staying cautious of their surroundings, they split up to clear all the spaces before they met up by the register desks afterwards.

Leonardo grabbed the radio from his belt and pushed the speak button.

“Armin?”

“Yes captain?”

“The station is safe, you can drive up”

“Alright, we'll be right there”

Leo handed the radio to Cannon, stepped behind the register and took a firm grip on the farthest end of the counter with both hands.

“Raph, take the other end and help me push this aside”

Raphael did as he was told and with a grunt, the brothers made the entire counter slide loudly across the floorboards, reveling a metal trapdoor underneath it.

The group waited a second to make sure that nothing was moving around them, when nothing did, Leo went back to study the trapdoor and with a single hand movement, signaled everyone to step back. Taking a firm hold of the handle, Leo hauled the door open, the scream that met them pierced through the orchestra of several different clicking sounds emerging from the bunker. The loud clicking noises were soon followed by an intense reeking stench of something that's been rotting in confinement for months if not longer. Leonardo quickly slammed the door shut with great force, then stumbled a few steps backwards and covered his face in the crook of his arm to shut out the smell as his eyes stung and watered with tears.

“Leo, you okay?” Raph asked

Blinking rapidly, Leo coughed and forced his stomach to settle. Raphael stepped around the trapdoor to get to Leo but before he got close enough the smell hit him too.

“Holy fucking-!” Raph didn't finish before he covered his nose and mouth with his hand, holding his breath, he grabbed Leo's arm and pulled him outside. Cannon and Bonnie ran after them as they went.

Back outside in the fresh air, Leo undid the cap of his water bottle and poured its content on his face to clean his eyes from possible fungus spores. Clearing his throat Leo also took a swig of the water, moved it around in his mouth before spitting it out on the sand at his feet.

“Why the hell are there dead ones down there? The trapdoor was blocked off from the outside!” Cannon shouted, obviously frustrated.

“There might be another way in…or maybe someone blocked it when they left to protect the people down there but never made it back to open it up again” Bonnie guessed, their moods suddenly dropping the more the second option started to make sense.

“We need to air out that bunker so we can get close enough to thoroughly see what we're dealing with” Leo said.

“Are you crazy? If those people died down there then there ain't anything worth going down for, let's just leave it” Raph said.

Leo's blue eyes darkened, face grim as he turned to face his brother.

“I'm going down there Raphael so you can either help or step out of my way!”

Raph's eyes widened in surprise at his brother's sudden aggression, not quite sure what he'd done this time to deserve it.

“The ladder down looked broken so we won't have to worry about any of them getting out and once Armin and the others get here we can get some light down there and shoot them down” Leo explained, voice harsh.

There was something in the way Leo spoke that set off warning signals in Raph's brain, or more like a feeling of déjà vu, he couldn't tell if Leo was just pissed or if there was something else, either way, something wasn't right. 

Armin showed up shortly after followed by the rest of the men, parking the truck and getting out of the cars, Leo ordered them to gather weapons, cloths, flares and rope, then he lead the way back inside the gas station to show the bunker and explained what he needed done. Covering their faces with the cloths, they got the bunker opened once more but this time they were prepared for what was down there, then they waited outside for a moment to let the stench and spores level out. Flares were lit and thrown down, spreading red light on the infected below, shapes no longer looking human tried to claw their way up towards them and flesh barely sticking to muscle were ripped off by the others frantic movements around them. Men were placed to guard the doors and windows in case of an ambush as rifles were raised and aimed towards the infected and with Leonardo's command, shots were fired. Blood and pus stained the walls, the bullets penetrated overgrown blisters and tore through rotten skin as bodies stacked upon the other on the ground. Once all the clicking stopped, so did the shooting.

Leonardo had been right, per usual, the bunker had a great supply of conserved food and necessities for their vehicles, overall, worth their efforts to get to it.

“Obviously they didn't starve to death” Cannon said, referring to the shelves of food and water bottles filled to their limits.

“All it takes is one asshole getting infected without telling anyone an' they're all done for” Raph grunted.

The next hour was spent stripping the bunker of every last tin can and loaded them inside the truck, when everything of value was retrieved the bunker was once again sealed shut and covered, leaving the shop as they'd first found it. Regrouping by the vehicles, weapons and armor returned to their designated chests, the group prepared to get back on the road.

Raphael was just about to climb back inside the truck when he heard his brother call out after Cannon.

“Trade places with me, Armin and I need to keep track of the map” Leo ordered, Cannon only nodded in response and made his way towards the passenger side of the truck.

Raphael could only stare as Leo took a seat in the car up front, he knew his brother was lying since Leo had already explained the situation with the map earlier, it was just an excuse to get away. Leo was in fact pissed at him, which he could usually deal with when he knew what he'd done wrong but this time he wasn't sure and it made him feel uneasy. Sighing heavily he took his seat behind the steering wheel and ignored Cannon's cocky grin next to him.

“Well, well, it doesn't matter how much you try Raphie, you'll just never get rid of me” Cannon said with a great amount of humor in his voice.

“Shut it, asshead”

The drive was smooth from there, the hours passed by quickly in Cannon's company and before the friends knew it the sun was setting. About half an hour later, they took a turn left, leaving the main road for a much smaller one, if not for the few wheel tracks in the sand they wouldn't have known it was a road to begin with. Soon houses came into view in the distance, not enough to call it a town but enough to have housed a small community in the past. Altogether, there were a few residential houses and shops, a larger building resembling a school with a recess yard surrounding it and lastly, a church at the end of the road. Getting closer it was clear that no one had lived in this place in a very long time, probably abandoned even before the dead started running around.

The group came to a stop in the middle of the road, not bothering to leave any room for other cars to pass, already guessing that no one else would be driving by anytime soon.

A quick look around later and everyone got to work with setting up the fireplace, cleared out space inside the houses to set up tents and unloaded the truck from necessary supplies. When everything was in place Raph and Cannon took a seat next to Bonnie by the campfire, taking a moment to relax and enjoy the flickering sound from the fire that had just been lit, scattering light around them as the sky was getting darker and the air was getting cooler.

“I could use a beer, you guys want one?” Cannon asked and both Raph and Bonnie nodded as he got up and headed towards the beer barrels.

* * *

Leonardo finished hammering the last nail of his tent into the carpeted floor before he stood back and admired his work, then he unzipped it and laid the blankets and pillows inside, silently wishing for the day to end soon so he could get some much needed rest.

Tomorrows planning was already done thanks to the second half of the drive spent with Armin, even though it had been a subterfuge to begin with it had still lead to a couple of productive hours and unless anyone needed him, he was given the evening to spend in peace by himself. Even though Leo knew he needed to speak to Raphael he deliberately ignored it for the time being, his patience had run thin when Raph had questioned his decision to go down the bunker and he didn't trust his temper enough to have a decent conversation with his hotheaded brother just yet.

Stepping out of the house he had built his tent inside of he was met with laughter coming from the fireplace where his team now had gathered, drink and food in hand as they enjoyed each other's company. Leo couldn't help a smile from forming on his lips and a feeling of contentment spread through him as he watched the group of people he trusted with his life, eyes resting a little longer on one person in particular. The relaxed happiness flowing off Raphael as he conversed with his teammates was a prize of its own, not being able to witness it very often. After another quick glance, Leo turned from the group and walked down the sandy road towards the church.

The doors to the church stood tall, all made in wood and as Leo pushed one of them open, the slight creaking echoed off the walls inside. He closed the door behind him out of habit, the church was neither large nor extravagant but served its purpose and even though it had stood empty for so many years, it was still in better condition than the residential houses outside. Leo took a few steps down the aisle until he came to a stop in front of the altar, it was dark and the only source of light was coming from the windows as the rising moon shone through them, displaying the man on the cross as dust particles swept through the air. Leonardo could feel an inner calm as he took a seat on one of the benches in the front row. He had not seen the inside of a church in years and was now reminded of why he loved them so much, it was a break from their everyday hectic life and while in here, he could take a moment to breathe and reflect, step out of his role and just be. In that moment Leo made a decision, they were going to build a church once they got back to base.

Leo lowered his head and closed his eyes as he cleared his mind of all thought, simply enjoying the silence around him.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when he heard one of the tall wooden doors slide open behind him. Leo didn't move from his position, eyes still closed, he didn't have to look up to know who'd decided to search for him this late at night. To his surprise, his brother didn't utter a single word as he strode through the church and came to sit down next to him on the bench. Raphael smelled of beer and smoke from the fire mixed with the sweat of a hard day's work but the distinct scent that was Raphael's own was what claimed Leonardo's consciousness. Taking a lung full he had to stop himself from moving closer towards his stronger brother on the bench, reminding himself that they were in fact in a church and of the frustration he still felt towards Raphael's earlier doubts.

A quarter of an hour passed without any of them breaking the silence, it wasn't uncomfortable but rather soothing to feel the other so close. Leo felt the last bit of frustration leave him as he no longer had any energy left to be mad or potentially argue with Raph. He reached over, grabbed Raph's hand in his own and pulled it to his lap as his other hand came to rest on top of it, smiling slightly as he felt Raph's fingers folding tightly around his hand as well.

Leo wanted to give praise his brother. Raphael wasn't a very patient turtle but had this time decided to give him the space he needed and waited for him to take the lead and speak when he felt ready. Deciding that his red banded brother had been patient long enough, Leo opened his eyes and lifted his head to face Raphael and was met by the intense amber gaze he had come to love. For a moment, all Leo could do was stare into the honey colored irises that, to him, almost seemed to glow in the semi darkness around them.

When Raphael made no attempt at speaking first, Leo cleared his throat and silently prayed for his voice to hold as the one single word moved past his lips.

“Hi”

Raphael's features noticeably softened. A slow, steady breath released as he lifted his hand from his brother's hold and cupped Leo's cheek in his palm, slowly caressing the scar that crossed over the captain's right eye with his thumb.

“Hey yourself”

Leo leaned into the soothing touch, a warm feeling spreading throughout his entire body as he indulged in Raphael's gentle act.

A few years back Leonardo would have shied away from these private moments between them, break from his brother's immersive golden gaze and fuss over simple displays of affection but today the embarrassment was long gone, replaced by an equal longing to be near, held and loved.

“You never showed up to eat so I thought ta come look for ya,” Raph explained, his arm coming to rest on the back of the bench before he continued.

“Figured I would find you in here, how long has it been?”

“I think it was April and Casey's wedding, we haven't been able to find a church or chapel since”

“Yeah… crazy kids, had us clear out that entire chapel just so they could have their pretend ceremony” Raph said, chuckling as he remembered how carefree they used to be back then.

“It was worth it though, it was a great day” Leo couldn't help but smile at the images his mind presented.

“It sure was”

The silence stretched for a minute as the brothers remembered the sunny day of celebration, now just a fond memory.

“Their memorial day is coming up soon, we should visit their grave once we get back”

“Yeah, can't believe it's almost been three years already, you think we're gonna miss it?” Raph said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Probably, I'm counting on us being out here for a couple of months at least”

“Damn Leo, sounds like this is a much bigger deal than ya made it seem, how hard can it be to set up a trading route between two camps?”

“It's not necessarily a mission that's supposed to be time consuming, I just have a feeling that matters might not play out as we want them to” Leo explained while shrugging.

“An' why is that?”

“I'm not sure yet…”

Raphael got up from his seat, stretching swiftly before holding out a hand for Leo to take, urging him to get up as well.

“Either way, you need to eat and with your creative looting today, there's plenty of options to choose from” Raph said, taking a solid hold of Leo's hand as he started to lead the way out from the church.

As soon as the brothers took a step outside their hands dropped back to their sides, not daring to give anyone reason to suspect anything or ask questions.

The fire was still burning strong when they got there, besides Cannon, Bonnie and their weapon technician Ty playing cards a few yards away were a table and a couple of foldable chairs had been placed out, they seemed to be the only ones left awake.

Not paying much attention to the card players, the brothers took a seat by the campfire. Leo grabbed a small pot, a can of vegetable ravioli and prepared to heat up his late evening meal. Leo hadn't realized how hungry he was until the delicious aroma from the heated food hit his nostrils, making his stomach growl with anticipation.

A couple of minutes into Leo's dinner, Cannon came to join them by the fire, card game forgotten as he settled down next to Raph with a playful grin on his face.

“Evening gents, sorry to interrupt but Raph, I need you to not sleep in our tent” Cannon stated, hand gesturing towards the direction of their house.

“What?”

“I know it's tough, you being obsessed with me and all but it's time for you to let go, so move your ass and get your shit out of there!”

“The hell I am, where am I supposed to sleep, moron?”

“I dunno, just bunk with Leo, what else are brothers useful for, come on man, just do this for me please?” Cannon whined.

Raph glanced over at Leo, whose eyes never left his food, pretending not to be listening to their conversation though Raph could still see the corners of his lips twitching as if trying to suppress a sly smirk forming. Smug bastard.

With an exaggerated sigh for dramatic effect, Raphael got to his feet.

“Fine but you'll owe me” He said as he stomped towards the house their tent was built inside of while trying not to smile like an idiot.

“Thanks man!” Cannon shouted as he headed back to the card players.

Raphael couldn't believe his luck, Cannon had just given him a fair reason to spend the night with Leo and he was sure as hell gonna take full advantage of it. Raph didn't know what reason had gotten him kicked out from his own tent but he couldn't care less, it had played out in his favor.

Once all his stuff were packed up from his old tent he headed over to Leo's. Leo being busy cleaning up after himself, didn't notice as Raph went inside the small residential and threw his duffle on the floor, eyeing the perfectly risen, grey tent in the living area. Kicking the door shut behind him, Raph pulled his shirt over his head, relieved to finally get rid of the damp fabric sticking to his skin after a long day in the hot temperature. Grabbing his water bottle, dropping the shirt as he went, Raph crawled inside the tent and pulled off his boots. Then laid down on his back, stacked the pillows and folded his arms behind his head to keep his neck elevated.

Leo heard the door to the house close behind Raph, with a smile on his face, Leo finished rinsing the pot he'd been using and returned it to its right full place. Then he grabbed a bottle of water and poured it over the almost extinguished fire, the burning wood sizzling in the process. Darkness surrounded the groups claimed camping ground, the only light coming from the small lamp lit on the card players table.

Leo decided to take a quick walk around the grounds to make sure they were the only ones around, the houses they camped inside of made for great cover against the dead but to let down ones guard completely would be idiotic. Finishing his round unhurriedly, Leo made his way back to the camps narrow road. All light was now gone, indicating that everyone had gone to bed, ready to turn in himself with his hand on the door handle Leo came to a halt, whispered voices and quiet laughter nearby stealing his attention. It didn't take long to recognize the voices as Cannon and Bonnie and from what Leo could tell they were having a rather intimate conversation. A few moments later a door was slammed shut and the voices disappeared.

Leo hadn't really thought about the reasoning for Cannon banishing Raph from their tent but for Bonnie to take his place was far down on his list of possibilities, if even at all. Leo had never thought of both of them as a possible pair, their age difference playing a huge part in that with Bonnie being almost ten years older but then again, what does age really matter, especially now with limited options, if they could find happiness with each other, more power to them.

Leo let out a slow breath and went inside his own residential, almost tripping on his brothers duffle bag as he went, then he noticed the shirt thrown on the floor.

“Make yourself at home, don't be shy” Leo said teasingly.

Even though Raph couldn't see his brother, he knew Leo was smiling as the sound of boots made their way around the room.

“Yer so fucking funny, you gonna get in here or what?”

Leo came and crouched by the tents opening, holding the fabric open with his arm to let the moonlight shine through, head peeking inside with a toothy grin on his face.

“Someone's a little impatient”

Raph could feel his face heating up at the accusation. 

“Like you're not?” Raph muttered.

Leo's smile only widened as he watched his brother for a second, blue eyes working their way down Raph's bare upper body, to his muscular thighs and then back up to the bigger turtles face again, before taking a step back.

“Just have to get something first, hold on”

Leo disappeared from view but Raph could still hear him moving about. A flashlight was switched on and a zipper could be heard being opened and closed before Leo came back to the tent, his shirt stripped with his belt and boots missing, the top button of his pants opened. While crawling on top of his brother, Leo threw the flashlight to the side, dimming the light in one of the pillows and the tiny can he'd brought with, he kept within reach on one of the blankets.

Their lips met in a hungry kiss, Raph's arms circling around Leo's middle as far as they could with a firm grip pulling him as close as possible. Leo's hands rested on either side of Raph's head, holding himself up as their tongues moved together, tasting each other as they let all their pent up desires devour them.

Leo's mouth left Raph's, nibbling and licking a wet trail down the larger turtle's neck before picking up a steady route down the center of Raph's plastron, coming to a stop at his beltline. Raph's eyes followed Leo, he could feel his heart rate increase as his belt was loosened and removed, routinized fingers unbuttoning and unzipping his pants before they were pulled off his lower half along with his underwear. Firm hands massaged their way up Raph's legs and a groan escaped his lips as those hands paid extra tender care to the inside of his thighs. Warm breaths followed by a hot tongue licking up the underside of his erection had Raph's head falling back into the pillows, eyes clenching shut as the warmth of Leo's mouth swallowed him.

Leo set a steady pace, working Raphael's cock inside his mouth inch by inch, tasting everything that were his brother as he focused on remembering how to relax his throat. It had been a long while since they'd had an opportunity to be intimate like this, the swift encounters they managed back in base was nothing compared to this, to finally be able to take their time and engulf in each other without the stress of being interrupted or the fear of being caught.

Raph's hands came up to take hold of Leo's head, easily urging for the leaner turtle to pick up his pace while Raph's hips gently thrust upwards to meet Leo's greedy mouth. The gagging sounds that met him in response only egged him on further and without warning, Raph's thrusts became rapid as he felt Leo struggle against his hold. Ignoring Leo's physical pleads to be released Raphael's grip only tightened as he forced his cock down his lover's throat, burying himself completely while cutting off Leo's airways. Raph only dared to hold his brother down for a second before removing his hands entirely and as Leo's head jerked back, gasping for air and coughing out of discomfort, Raph did everything in his power not to cum right then and there.

“Mmmh, fuck Leo, you're good at that” Raph praised, voice husky and his breathing turbulent.

Leo could feel his own erection strain painfully in his pants, the abuse of his now sore throat and Raphael desperately trying to hold on to the last of his self-control before him was enough to throw patience out the window. Without a single thought Leo tore his pants and boxers off, quickly tugging at his own erection before Raph grabbed his arms and pulled him atop the larger turtle once more. Lips locked, Leo's hand searched for the can on the blanket next to them. Sitting back up, Leo straddled his brother's thighs while deliberately making their cocks rub together, having the red banned turtle moan in the process. Leo got the can open and poured its content on their throbbing lengths, hand taking a tight grip around both of them and spread the slippery oil up and down before adding more to his other hand, slickening his fingers before reaching behind himself.

Raphael's mouth fell open with a gasp as his own hand replaced Leo's on their cocks, jerking them both off at the same time while Leo was busy fingering himself. Raph hadn't realized he'd missed the feeling of lube up until this point, not that it was actual lube they were using but olive oil, the feeling was still the same.

“Where'd ya get that?” Raph asked breathlessly.

A low groan was all that answered him as he felt Leo's cock throb in his hand and with that, Raphael's patience was gone. Flipping them over, Leo fell hard on his shell as his legs were spread wide to make room for the muscular turtle above him. Raph took the can of oil and poured some more on his dick before lining up against Leo's prepped hole, he added a little bit of pressure as he leaned forward to captured Leo's mouth with his own.

Leo's cry was muffled as Raph suddenly rammed his thick shaft inside the captain's ass, not even giving Leo a second to get used to the feeling of being stretched beyond his limit, Raph pulled his cock back before thrusting it back in, hard.

“Ya like it rough, don't ya Fearless?” Raph whispered coarsely

The tight warmth clenching around him was almost too much to handle and he knew he wouldn't be able to last long if he kept this tempo up. Forcing himself to slow down, Raph lifted one of the leaner turtle's legs over his shoulder and focused his aim, studying Leo's face closely for every slight change in expression while trying to hit the bundle of nerve endings just right. His effort rewarded soon enough.

“Oh god Raph, yes!” Leo tried to keep his voice low but as Raphael's cock kept on hitting his prostate repeatedly his mind fogged over, all restraints forgotten. The burning sensation from Raph's crude intrusion eased as his body got used to his brother's size, rocking his hips as much as his position would allow, meeting the passionate thrusts as the sound of muscular thighs slapping rhythmically against skin filled their tent.

With aiming on point, Raph took Leo's dick in hand and pumped him in equal pace to his own thrusting while feeling fingernails digging into his shoulders. The added pain sent a shiver down his spine and it was enough to send him over the edge, no longer bothering holding back. With a loud, heavy grunt and a few jagged thrusts, Raphael came hard, emptying himself deep within as he felt his brother erupt in his hand, spurting hot strands of semen across his own plastron.

Catching his breath, Raph let his brother's leg fall from his shoulder, humming softly as he gently kissed and licked along the beating pulse on Leo's neck, earning another moan from his lover before pulling out and rolling over on his side. He couldn't help but smile as Leo followed suit, face resting only inches away from his own, though eyes closed as his breathing settled.

“Mmmh…that's not good” Leo murmured, feeling the rational part of his brain coming back to function.

“What's not good?” Raph asked, actually curious to know what possibly couldn't be good right now.

Leo took a moment before opening his eyes, blue meeting amber.

“Too loud…these houses aren't exactly sound proofed” Leo muttered, face heating by his own embarrassment. The toothy grin spreading on his brother's face didn't help any either.

“Ya know I like ya loud, 'specially when you scream my name or beg me to fuck you harder” Raph stated and chuckled softly as Leo's eyes widened, clearly not prepared for the vulgar response. Raph's arm came to rest on Leo's waist before he continued.

“Don't worry 'bout it, 'sides, everyone's sleeping anyway” he didn't necessarily want to have this conversation right now but he knew Leo wouldn't let it go and sleep until they did.

“Not everyone” Leo said, more to himself than anyone else before a yawn made its way out which was Raph's cue to get up.

“Come on, let's get ya cleaned up before you pass out” Raph said, seeing his chance to avoid their previous topic, they both crawled out of the tent.

Two water bottles and a lot of scrubbing later the brothers managed to get most of the oil off. Rinsing off oil with cold water was neither easy nor pleasant but they managed to get the job done and once back inside the tent they cuddled up close, Leo's head resting on Raph's shoulder and legs tangled together as they swept a blanket over themselves, ready for sleep to consume them.

* * *

_The smoke from the fire surrounding them burned his lungs as he fought to breath. Their only priority was to find a way out, all of them, right now._

_The fire was spreading fast and not before long, the only way to avoid the flames would be to jump from the windows towards a certain death. He tried to locate his brothers and friends through the thick smoke, crawling along the floorboards, eyes watering, making it even harder to see._

_He called out their names, hoping one of them would respond but no one did._

_Then, dangerously close to the flames, he found his youngest brother, lying on the floor, face down and unmoving. Getting closer he could see numerous severe burns formed along the entirety of Michelangelo's arm closest to the scolding fire. He could also see the door, their way out and without a second though he took hold under his younger brother's arms, trying his best not to aggravate the injuries and pulled him up enough to drag him to freedom._

_Right before he was going to close the door behind him, he heard hysterical coughing from somewhere inside the dark clouds of smoke filling the entire floor of offices._

_“Donnie?!” His throat hurt like never before and he knew his voice was about to give up on him._

_Light headed he made sure his little brother was safe from the flames before he got back down on the floor once more, crawling in the direction of the coughing. He found Donnie with his shell against a wall, coughing and clearly struggling to breathe as his body was shaking from obvious hysteria. That's when he saw April crawling towards Don as well, towels in hand to cover their mouths to try to filter out the burnt particles in the air. Seeing Donatello calm down at the return of his friend he waved his arms, shouting their names as loudly as he could to get their attention, leading the way back to their way out._

_Michelangelo was still unconscious when he got back, ignoring his screaming lungs, he heaved his younger brother up on his shell while ordering the other two to follow close behind._

_They couldn't escape the fire, it had spread to every single floor, blocking the route they knew and forced them to make way in unknown directions, risking getting caught in a dead end at any turn but even with all odds against them they somehow made it down to the ground floor only to find it swarmed with infected. Turning back, they tried the garage, which luckily only had a few rotten wandering about. Carefully letting his brother slide from his shell to the concrete flooring, he pulled his swords and with great stealth, he sliced their heads right off, foul smelling blood staining him as their bodies fell to the ground._

_Breaking the window of one of the parked vans in the garage, he got the rest of the doors unlocked and helped his brothers inside before hotwiring it to get it running._

_His felt dizzy as the world seemed to spin around him, his coordination started to falter as he drove up to the gates of the garage. April got it open for them but as he waited for her to get inside the van as well, she only shook her head._

_“I'm going back to look for Casey” was all she said as she turned and ran the way they'd come from, not bothering to wait for a response._

_“April, no, come back, you can't!” His raspy protests fell upon deaf ears as he watched April disappear._

_“DAMMIT!” He swore punching the steering wheel hard enough to split his knuckles open before driving out of the garage slowly to avoid bringing attention upon them._

_Parking the van in an ally way across the burning building he ordered Donnie to watch over Mikey and keep the doors locked. Not waiting for an answer, he ran across the street, unsheathing his blades as he mentally prepared himself to clear the entire ground floor from the rotten if that's what it took to get April out._

_He moved swiftly and with purpose to kill everyone that should already be dead, the air pressing past as his weapons flew made the blades sing as pieces of skulls painted the solid foundation under his feet. His mind shut down as his body moved, ignoring every lesson his father had taught him about fighting with honor, his only objective was to kill everything that tried to kill him and his family._

_He lost count, the decapitations becoming a blur as he became numb to the gory sights around him. As the last body fell to the ground, so did he, his knees catching his fall as he desperately fought to get enough air in his lungs._

_He then heard a scream of terror, looking up he could see April through one of the windows, her clothes and hair burning as she were surrounded by rotten, biting and tearing off chunks of her skin while she tried to get away. April's neck was then eaten straight out, dark red gushing as her carotid artery was ripped open. With an expression of pain and horror pasted on her face, she fell lifelessly out from view._

_Shock had his body frozen in place, he wasn't sure he could trust what he'd just witnessed with his own eyes. Was April really dead? She couldn't be could she?_

_His thoughts were interrupted when he noticed movement farther up and as soon as his eyes could focus, he saw Raphael and Casey clinging to the facade of the building a good fifteen stories above him, trying to climb down to avoid being burned alive._

_He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe as panic overtook him. There was nothing he could do to stop them and nothing he could do to help. He felt like he was about to pass out when Raphael's heart wrenching yell of desperation pulled him back just as Casey made a wrong step._

_He watched his friend fall. All he could do was sit there and wait for the sound of bones breaking and skull cracking as he landed, blood pooling beneath Casey's body as his blank eyes stared at him._

_Then he saw Raphael's grip on the facade slip as well, not being able to hold on, Raph's body fell helplessly towards the asphalt._

Leonardo jolted awake with an agonizing scream, sitting up, his hands shaking with panic as they reached for Katanas that weren't there. Droplets of sweat rolled down his neck as a strong hand took hold of his shoulder. Confused with darting eyes he tried to get a grip of his surroundings and try to remember where he were, turning to see the owner of the hand, Leo was met with a look of compassion. That's when he felt the tears rolling down his face and a feeling of angst and dread suddenly hit him so hard it felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs.

“Ya gotta breath Leo, in an' out” Raph demonstrated his breathing as he spoke, making Leo follow his example and together breath through Leo's panic attack.

Once Leo got through the worst of it, Raph pulled him into a tight embrace and Leo clung to him as if his life depended on it.

“It's alright, I got ya, we're alright” Raphael soothed, even though he'd never had to do this for one of his brothers before, he'd been through it enough times himself to know how to handle it. With everything they've had to witness so far, they should be glad a little PTSD was the only thing they had to deal with from time to time.

When the trembling finally stopped and Leo's breathing came back to normal they laid back down, Raph still holding his brother close as he refused to let go.

“Ya get nightmares often?” Raph asked.

“No, it's been a long while since last time” Leo said, wiping the wetness on his cheeks with the back of his hand.

“Think we triggered it today?”

“…Yes”

“Wanna tell me about it?” Raphael asked, even though he could probably already guess what the dream had been about.

“No, I just want to forget about it”

“You know it doesn't work like that”

“…I know”

Raphael wasn't sure what to say to that, he wasn't going to make Leo talk if he didn't want to so instead he just tightened his hold, giving comfort in a way he knew would work.

“I'm happy you're here, Raph” Leo said, hugging his brother back and pressing in as close as their bulk would allow.

“Get back ta sleep, we still got a couple more hours left before sun's up” Raph said before gently pressing his lips to Leo's temple.

“I love you”

“Love ya too Fearless”

They both fell into a deep sleep, exhaustion playing its part as the brothers missed the hurried footsteps just outside their door.

* * *

End of part two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a little dark towards the end, sorry about that :P  
> Also a quick disclaimer that I´m not a teacher in any way, shape or form so don´t take my word for anything, this is pure fiction xD
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it anyway, bye!


	3. Chapter 3

**War In Ruins**

Part Three

* * *

Leonardo woke at the first beams of sunlight reflecting on the tents walls, besides the rather noisy snoring coming from the larger turtle, everything was quiet , indicating that no one else was up yet. Easing himself free from his brother’s hold, Leo sat up, wincing at the sharp sting in his rear before stretched his arms over his head to loosen the stiff muscles.

Taking a minute to let his eyes get used to the sudden brightness, Leo mentally went through the report he would have to give back to base as soon as they made contact. A mumble and a shuffle of blankets behind him had Leo smiling as he felts strong arms drape around his waist, soft kisses trailing down his neck and shoulder.

“Don’t even think of gettin’ up yet” Raph said, voice gruff and hoarse from sleep, his hands fondled their way downwards and came to rest on each of Leo’s thighs.

“I have to, the council will be on the radio any minute” Leo answered, though not making any effort to break away from his brother.

“Then you’re mine until they are” Raph wasted no time pushing Leo on his back, hovering on top and settled between the captain’s spread legs.

Raph placed eager kisses up Leo’s neck and along his jawline until their lips met, kiss soft at first until Leo’s fingers twined behind the back of Raph’s head, pulling him in closer and their tongues tangled together, Leo letting his brother take the lead while clever fingers working their way down to his crotch. Teasing, feather light caresses played with the growing erection through the fabric of Leo’s underwear, earning a breathless hum from the leaner turtle in response.

Shoving the piece of clothing aside, Raph broke the kiss and took a solid grip of Leo’s cock, studying the captain’s expression while the blue-banded brother tensed at the delicious attention to his member. The hand moved slowly up and down Leo’s entire length, strong wrist twisting as it reached the head before making its way back down.

“Faster” Leo pleaded as his hips eagerly thrusted upwards to create more friction.

Raph ignored him, shifting his weight to hold Leo in place while keeping the same steady, excruciatingly slow pace on the slick shaft in his hand, feeling it harden to its fullest beneath his touch.

Leo could hear his pulse beating, mind dazed as a lust-filled frustration overtook him, he needed for that rough hand to move faster but Raphael refused to comply and the pressed weight on top of him prevented him from taking matters into his own hands so to speak. Without brute force, all Leo could do was lay there, hands holding on to broad shoulders above him while on the brink of whimpering out his need for release.

Somewhere in the mist of his lust, Leo heard a voice calling out his name from somewhere in the background and all of a sudden, the hand on his cock sped up mercilessly. Leo’s eyes rolled back and closed as his back arched before the familiar warmth flooded his groin, with breath caught in his throat, Leo came, riding the wave of his orgasm for as long as he could while the mess he made gathered in the creases of his plastron.

Panting, Leo felt the weight on top of him ease off before it disappeared completely. Confused he opened his eyes just in time to see Raphael crawl out of the tent before coming back a second later with his radio in hand, grumbling something into it before throwing it in next to Leo’s head with a smug look on his face.

“Good luck” Raph said, grabbing his pants before leaving once more.

Head not yet clear from his erotic high, Leo could only stare after his brother as he heard him get dressed outside the tent.

“…What?” Leo mumbled, not sure what Raph had meant.

Leo’s question was answered a few second later when the voice he’d heard earlier returned, only now, he realized it was coming from the radio lying next to his head.

“Come on Leo, we have matters to attend to on our end as well you know” Donnie’s annoyed tone had Leo rolling over in a flash to get a hold of the radio, cursing himself as the stickiness on his chest and stomach stuck to the blanket under him, great, just great.

Ignoring the mess for now Leo pressed down the speak button to answer his younger brother.

“I’m here Donnie, sorry”

“Sleeping in, are we captain?” Donnie responded, teasingly.

“No…yes, sorry, I had a long night” Leo said, face palming himself at his lame attempt of an explanation.

“Is everything alright?” Donnie asked, now sounding concerned which was the last thing Leo needed his brother to be.

“Yes! Everything is fine, no need for you to worry” Leo said, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, making his words sound less believable. This was going to be a long conversation Leo thought as he grunted in annoyance.

It took Donnie a moment to respond and when he did, he was back to business.

“Why don’t you start from the beginning, the council is here as well and will be noting”

Leo could swear he heard a snicker from outside the tent before the door opened and closed as Raphael left the house. Leo sighed heavily, forcing his thoughts to sort themselves out.

“Certainly” Leo answered, silently whishing he could’ve at least had the chance to wash off first. Composing himself, he continued.

“Good morning council…”

* * *

Raph got the fire burning to prepare coffee for him and the rest of the group whenever it was time for them to get up. He knew it wouldn’t be long considering the sun was already up and Leo would have them packing up in no time once he was done with the council. He took a sip of his hot drink, not aware he was grinning like a fool as his mind replayed everything they had done during the late hours in the privacy of their own tent. He also couldn’t help but feel rather pleased with himself for having made Leo lose it again this morning. Maybe he should have taken the opportunity to take care of himself alongside his brother but knowing Leo, it was never a bad thing to be one-up of him and Raph felt curious to see how the blue banded brother planned to return the favor.

Finishing his coffee and a bathroom break later, Raph got down to doing push-ups to pass the time, not having enough spear time to get in a decent work out daily these days he figured now was as good time as any while he waited for everyone else to get moving.

Forty minutes later, he actually considered dragging Cannon out himself, not needing much conviction, Raph stomped over and barged through the door, not caring to give his friend a smooth awakening. Confused mumbling could be heard inside the tent, clearly still asleep as Raph crossed his arms over his chest.

“Come on Cannon, get your ass up before I come in there an’ pull ya out myself!”

The tent fluttered as Cannon woke up but besides that, nothing else moved.

“Raph...what the hell are you doing here?” Cannon asked, words slurred by sleep but the annoyance evident.

“We got work ta do an’ I’m kind enough ta wake ya before Leo does, now move it”

“I’ll meet you out there man, get out”

“Yeah sure, I’ll count to three an’ then I’ll personally lead the way out”

“Dammit Raph, I’m not alone in here…”

Chuckling, Raph took another step inside.

“You an’ your hand will get a chance to cuddle up later but right now it’s time ta get up!”

“No Raph, I’m really _not_ alone in here, now fucking leave!”

It took a second for Raph to grasp what he’d just been told and when realization hit him, his mood soured in a heartbeat. So that was last night’s reasoning.

“Son of a bitch…” Raph said through gritted teeth, turned on his heels and slamming the door shut behind him as he left.

Cannon laid back down on his back with a heavy sigh, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“Guess the cat’s out of the bag” Bonnie said, rather unimpressed by the whole situation.

“Yeah, today’s gonna suck” Cannon muttered, not happy with the turn of events.

“He’ll get over himself, you know how moody he gets” Bonnie smiled sweetly as she gathered her clothes and began to get dressed.

Cannon rested his chin in his hand as he watched Bonnie pull her t-shirt over her head, his eyes tracking her spine before it disappeared behind the fabric. His other hand reached out for her, fingers stroking the top of her thigh softly while he simply enjoyed the look of her.

“You’re right, might even be better this way, I’m getting kinda tired of having to keep my hands to myself whenever we’re out”

“Now, there’s the optimism I was looking for” Bonnie said teasingly as she leaned in and gave Cannon a swift kiss on the lips before moving out of the tent, waiting for the younger man to follow her.

* * *

The sandy roads became gravel, the earlier blazing sun vanished behind a darkening mantle of clouds, turning the air humid as the hours of daylight passed by.

Cannon was driving the truck, Raph was next to him, slumped in his seat with his feet rested on top of the dashboard. Neither of them had said a word to the other since that morning, Raph was still brooding and waiting for Cannon to explain himself when the annoying voice of his youngest brother came through the radio. Cannon couldn’t help but feel slightly relieved to finally have someone break the awkward silence.

“Guess who managed to steal a radio from Donnie? That’s right, me, I swear, he guards these things like a Dober-turtle!” Mikey exclaimed, voice filled with humor as he laughed at his own joke.

The corner of Raph’s mouth twitched upwards as he took hold of the radio to answer his brother.

“What do ya want goofball?”

“Oh don’t even get me started, I’m going to vent on you big time bro so brace yourself!”

Raph didn’t even have time to reply before Mikey got into his story.

“So I got to work later than usual yesterday right, not my fault by the way, things just happened, anyway, so I get there, guess what, the place stinks of vomit. Some guy has vomited all over his table, chunks of chewed left-overs were dripping-”

“Mikey, for fuck sake, we don’t need details!” Raph shouted even though his brother couldn’t hear him because of the radios one way at a time speech.

“-I asked the guy who had the shift before me, you know Boris right? Doesn’t matter, we hate him now, anyway, so I asked why he hasn’t cleaned it up already and then I told him to get to it ‘cus I refused to start my shift with wiping up vomit, which is understandable right? Yeah I know I’m right, so Boris just nods and tell me he’s going to get the mop right away and do you know what that weasel do? He sneaks out the back door, THE BACK DOOR RAPH!”

Raph could help but laugh at his brother’s desperation, holding down the speak button to make sure his brother could hear it.

“So then what?” Raph asked.

“What do you think Raph? I had to clean it! I swear if I see Boris tonight he’s gonna get it, what was he thinking anyway, he thinks he can sneak out and then avoid me forever? How big does he think this place is?”

“Easy Mike, so you’re sayin’ ya wouldn’t have done the same thing? Don’t make me laugh”

“I may prank people for my own amusement but I’m not an asshole!”

“Yeah yeah, just take it easy on the kid, your ugly mug is enough to scare him off, no need to yell at him too”

“Dude, the guy’s like fifty!

Laughter filled the trucks cabin, the mental image of a man in his fifties sliding away from his responsibilities too funny not to laugh at for some reason. Calming themselves, the friends could hear Mikey’s voice through the radio once more.

“Anyway, so what’s going on with you? Have you made it there yet?”

“No, should be about two more days of driving or so if we keep on campin’ at night” Raph answered.

“Fun, you know, despite the vomit and all I’m still not jealous of you guys, I would die of boredom before even getting there” Mikey explained.

“Lucky no one wanted ya ta come along then” Raph countered, unable to suppress the wide grin on his face.

“Ha-ha, charming as ever Raph” Mikey stated, his voice dripping with sarcasm. There was a short break before Mikey continued.

“You got Leo around?”

“Nah, I’m with Cannon, try channel 8”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later bro, bye Cannon~” Mikey exclaimed before the radio went silent.

The atmosphere once again turned sour inside the cabin, Cannon spared a quick glance at his friend before returning his focus to the road and with a heavy sigh, the younger man decided to face the issue, admitting defeat in the silence game this had turned into.

“Alright Raph, I give, I’m sorry for not telling you alright but you clearly moved on years ago so I don’t get why you’re so mad about this?”

“Oh so you suddenly saw your green light and went for it? An’ if ya didn’t think I would care, the hell were ya hidin’ it for?” Raphael shouted.

“It’s not like we planned for this to happen and just look at the way you’re reacting, how do you think the rest of the guys will take it? This is fairly new and I wanted to know if it had the potential of becoming serious before taking the risk of having you guys turn on me alright?” Cannon gripped the steering wheel tighter before continuing.

“Bonnie doesn’t care either way but she also isn’t aware of the stuff you guys have been saying about her over the past couple of years, I know and-”

“And you still choose the chick over your buddies, way to go Cannon, ya can shove your reasons an’ don’t bother talkin’ ta me” Raph interrupted, anger boiling in his gut and he was done talking. Raph knew his anger wasn’t rooted in the fact that it was Bonnie they were talking about, he had in fact moved on a long time ago but the fact that Cannon could disregard everyone around him to get what he wanted was what pissed Raph off, were some simple bro code too much to ask for? Either way, the discussion wouldn’t end well if they kept at it but Cannon wasn’t planning on letting up just yet.

“I’m not choosing anyone over the other, you’re the one shutting me out man!” Cannon said defensively, his own temper flaring.

Raphael had had enough and grabbed a hold of the radio once more, intending to have someone trade places with him but before he could set the correct channel, the cars in front of them signaled to turn. Following closely behind they drove down an old dirt road surrounded by wide trees, driving past an old rustic sign Raphael could read they were heading towards a nature reserve with lodging, probably another one of Leo’s great ideas.

A short drive deeper into the woods and up a rather steep hill later a lone, timber lodge came into view beyond the tree trunks. The two-story lodge was clearly old and had definitely seen better days but who had the luxury to be picky these days? it looked like a safe enough place to spend the night.

Once parked, Raphael swung the passenger door open and jumped down, the second his feet hit the ground, lightning flashed from the dark clouds above him, followed by loud thunder indicating the heavy rain were only minutes away.

Not wasting any time, Raphael pulled his revolver from its holster and kicked the front door of the lodge open, not caring who heard him, he was pissed and could use a good shooting to vent out his frustrations but unfortunately nothing came running towards him. Looking inside he found the lodge to be disturbingly quiet and considering the noticeably thick layers of dust on the sparse amount of furniture, no one, dead or alive had been occupying the property in a long while.

“What exactly was your plan Raphael? Six bullets and wrestle the rest? You could’ve been swarmed” Leonardo stated, voice accusing yet concerned as he came up the few wooden steps of the porch to stand behind Raphael, leaning his shoulder against the broken doorframe while crossing his arms over his chest.

“You, shut it!" Raphael barked, his arm muscles tensed as his fists clenched, the grip around the gun handle tightening. The last thing the hot-tempered turtle needed at that very moment was another lecture.

Ignoring his brother’s questioning gaze, Raphael moved further inside the house, searching every room for infected to be on the safe side. Done on the bottom floor, Raphael climbed the staircase to the first and began searching the rooms there. Turning one of the door knobs he found that it was locked, growling, he took a step back and without thinking, his fist connected with the wooden door, punching a hole straight through it. Ignoring the stinging ache from his knuckles, Raph reached down and unlocked it from the inside, turning the knob once more, the door creaked open.

What Raphael found inside replaced his anger with despair, suddenly nauseated, he backed out of the room and the second his shell hit the wall, Raph slid down to the floor. Taking a deep breath, he immediately regretted not closing the door after himself, the smell was spreading swiftly but his legs wouldn’t let him get up.

Familiar steps slowly traveled up the steps, Raph had to bit down on his tongue to stop himself from yelling at his brother to piss off and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very tired.

Leonardo could smell the rotting before he made it to the top of the stairs, he saw Raph on the floor and the broken door across from him. Walking past his brother, Leo peeked inside the room and with a grim look on his face, he took a step inside to thoroughly comprehend what it was he was seeing. On the other side of the room, on the floor were a body, decayed beyond recognition but from what Leo could tell, it was a woman or at least what remained of a woman. In front of her were two bundles of blankets, Leo wouldn’t have thought anything of them if it weren’t for the small grey craniums he found inside, twin babies most likely. Then his eyes finally came to rest on the rusty knife lying closely to the side of the bodies and Leo didn’t need more to piece together what had happened.

Shaking his head, Leo pulled off the bedspread from one of the single beds in the room and covered them with it before leaving, closing the door firmly behind him. Kneeling in front of his brother, Leo took Raph’s hand in his own, examining the bruised knuckles before squeezing it gently.

“Are you alright?” Leo asked but before Raph had a chance to answer, Armin came up the steps, somewhat apprehensive.

“Captain, did something happen?” Armin asked, eyeing Raphael, his gaze lingering questionably on their joined hands.

Realizing his mistake too late, Leo held on firmly to Raphael’s hand, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Everything’s fine Armin, the house is clear so you can begin unloading the truck before the storm gets worse and prepare for the night” Leo explained.

“Yes captain” Armin answered and turned around to head down the stairs but Leo didn’t miss the raised eyebrow on the man’s face before he left. He would have to deal with that later.

Finally alone, Leo’s attention fell back on the stronger turtle before him.

“What happened?” Leo asked, his other hand coming up underneath his brother’s chin to tilt it upwards, attempting to get the amber eyes to meet his own.

“Nothin’, just a dumb fight, it’s stupid” 

“If it’s stupid, then why were you so upset over it?”

“It doesn’t matter, I got some perspective thrown in my face just now an’ it doesn’t mean shit in comparison” Raph explained, nodding towards the closed door.

“I see” Leo answered and lifted Raph’s hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it before letting go and standing back up.

“I should go down and help the others, join us when you’re ready, alright?” Leo wasn’t expecting to get an answer and with purpose in his step, he headed down to get to work.

Raphael heard him leave and for a moment he just sat there, staring at nothing while listening to the people moving about downstairs. Getting back on his feet, Raphael headed back inside the room that kept the bodies and while eyeing the bedspread, he got an impulse and ripped the second one from the other bed. Holding his breath, Raph rolled the bodies in the fabric and carried them down the stairs and out of the lodge, ignoring any questions he got as he went. Grabbing hold of a shovel, Raph put the bodies down beneath a tall Ponderosa Pine and started digging. The rain had started pouring and the temperature had dropped to an unpleasant degree, turning every of Raph’s fleeting breaths into misty clouds but he didn’t care. Once the bodies were properly buried, he sat down on the wet grass in front of the disturbed earth. Raphael wasn’t a stranger to burying bodies, he’d done it a countless amount of times before but this time it struck differently, yet he couldn’t describe the feeling or maybe it was a solid blend of too many different emotions and his brain couldn’t decide which one signaled the strongest. Either way, Raph choose not to allow his thoughts to linger on it for too long, instead his eyes fell upon the Pine standing tall before him and thought of how he back in the day would have been able to climb it without difficulty, sadly, those days were way past. Even if it had been their own choice to move on from their past selves, Raph could still miss the agility and flexibility their previous training had given them.

Raphael got lost in old memories and wasn’t brought back until a long while later by the smell of smoke. Turning around he could see smoke gushing out from the chimney, apparently, this place seemed to have a fireplace somewhere. That’s when Raph realized he’d almost lost feeling in his hands from the cold and his clothes were drenched from the rain that was still falling around him. Rising from his spot, Raph knew he had to get inside and warm up quickly or risk Hypothermia. He went to get his duffle from the back of the truck but found that somebody already had brought it inside, shivering, Raph stomped inside the house in search for his brother.

Raphael found Leo along with everyone else in the common area, sitting close by the surprisingly wide fireplace mounted along the far off wall in the room. Raph waited for Leo to notice him and when he did, Raph nodded towards the hallway for the leaner turtle to follow. Leo excused himself from the group, unaware of the watchful gaze stalking him as he left the room.

“Had a reposeful stroll in the thunder storm?” Leo asked amusingly once he caught up to his brother in the hall, pointing at the water dripping off the tempered turtle.

“I buried the bodies an’ now I’m freezing, ya got my duffle from the truck?” Raph asked, straight to the point.

“Oh…yes, it’s in our room, down the hall to the right” Leo explained and followed his brother as Raph turned his back on him without a word.

Inside the privacy of their bedroom, Raphael fumbled with the buttons of his wet shirt, the cold slowing his motor skills and he struggled to get the piece of clothing loose. Patience running thin, Raph grabbed a hold of the neckline and ripped the shirt open, buttons flying everywhere as he tore it off himself and threw it on the floor. Leo could only stare and if it weren’t for his brother’s obvious distress the display would’ve been rather alluring. Wetting his lips, Leo dared a couple of steps closer until he was near enough to pull on his brother’s belt.

“Here, let me help” Leo said, his voice soft as he unbuckled the belt holding Raphael’s revolver and carefully laid it down on the double bed that took up most of the space in the narrow bedroom. Then he moved on to help with the button and zipper on Raph’s pants, fingers taking their time as Leo leaned in close, his warm breath tickled Raphael’s cool neck and shot a shiver down his spine as Leo whispered close to his ear slit.

“Cannon preferred the new sleeping arrangements, which means I get to take care of you every night from now on” Leo purred and kissed down Raph’s neck softly.

Raph swallowed, surprised by his brother’s sudden bluntness as his dick hardened despite feeling as if he were about to freeze to death. With a knowing smile, Leo sneaked a hand inside the larger turtle’s underwear and fondled the stiffening member found there. The action had Raphael groaning in pleasure.

“You should really get out of these wet clothes, come sit with us by the fire when you’re done changing” Leo said and then he was gone, leaving Raph cold, hard and flustered. Fucking tease.

The evening was spent in great company, though Raph and Cannon still refused to talk to each other, stupid pride playing its part, they both had a great time with the rest of their team until it was late enough to turn in for the night. Yawning, Raph indulged in a few extra minutes toasting in front of the fire until he felt a hand on his shoulder, turning his head he was surprised to find Armin standing next to him and even more surprised that Armin were actually touching him.

“Could we speak outside for a moment Raphael?” Armin asked but didn’t bother for a response before leading the way out the front door.

Raphael followed behind quietly, not sure what to think of the situation. Armin had never paid much attention to Raphael and the same could be said the other way around, they shared an equal respect for each other but besides that, there was not much else between the two men.

“So, what’s up?” Raph asked once they were outside.

“I’ll get straight to the point” Armin said and took a deep breath as if he was preparing for a conversation he’d rather not have and then continued.

“I’ve noticed a couple unpleasant changes in our group dynamic lately and they all seem to be surrounding you so rather than asking around I figured I should turn to the source of the problem” Armin explained.

“Alright, I’ll bite, so what’ve I done now?” Raph asked, actually curious.

“For starters, our captain has more important tasks to tend to than the petty drama you start around him. Your brother might not want to see how pathetic your behavior is but I won’t stand by knowing you’re putting the whole group in danger with your unnecessary distractions and pointless arguments while we are out on our missions. These are good people and they do not deserve to die because of your carelessness” Armin took a second to study Raph’s face but got nothing.

“Furthermore, I’m not one to dictate what others do in the privacy of their bedrooms, I leave the retribution of sinners to a higher power but while we are out of base, our focus should be on the mission and not on trivial matters such as who sleeps in who’s bed, am I making myself clear?” Armin finished.

“An’ who the hell gave you permission to listen in on others conversations?”

“Believe me, I wish I wasn’t aware of the things I’ve come to learn the past 24 hours, that was all, good night” And with that Armin went back inside the house, not caring to leave the door open for Raphael.

Raph rubbed his face with the palm of his hand, feeling a slight headache throbbing behind his eyes, this day had been way too long.

Back in his bedroom, Leo was already lying in bed, wrapped in multiple blankets fast asleep. Raph couldn’t help but smile as he watched the relaxed expression on his brother’s face. Undressing for the second time that evening, Raph crawled underneath the blankets and cuddled up behind the captain as much as their armored parts would allow, then rested his arm around Leo’s waist, hand flat on his stomach and pulling lightly towards himself to feel his brother even closer. Leo stirred at the movements behind him, realizing he was no longer alone in the bed, he rolled over so he could face the larger turtle, his leg coming up to wrap around Raph’s hip.

“You’re running off an awful lot today” Leo stated, still groggy from sleep.

“I know, sorry”

“Anything you want to talk about?” Leo asked, his hand caressing Raphael’s bicep soothingly.

Raph debated for a minute if telling Leo what Armin had said would do any good but decided against it. Armin didn’t deserve the trouble and what he had told Raph wasn’t any groundbreaking news, Raph was already aware of his issues but the fact that Armin had somehow found out about their relationship was the disturbing part and Leo would not take well to those news.

“No, just need ta sleep” Raph murmured, he felt beat, the headache refused to let up and all he craved were a couple hours of dreamless rest.

“Alright, good night Raph” Leo said, hugging him closer.

“Night” Raph answered just moments before falling asleep.

* * *

The same second Raphael opened his eyes the next morning he knew he shouldn’t have, his entire body ached, the bedroom felt like the inside of a freezer even though he was sweating and his head felt heavy as concrete. He wanted to go back to sleep but his body wouldn’t stop trembling, looking around for his duffle, he spotted it on the floor across the room and with a loud grunt he forced himself to sit up on the side of the bed. Suddenly feeling out of breath, Raph took a moment to try to gather enough willpower to get up.

“Fuck…” Raph breathed out and felt the bed shift behind him.

“Raph, what’s wrong?” Leo asked, noticing the sweat damp sheets.

“Feel like shit” Raph answered honestly, he truly did feel like utter shit.

“Lay back down, what do you need?”

“Meds in my bag” Raph replied as he did what he was told, covering himself with all the blankets he could get his hands on.

“Alright, I’ll go and get you some water first, don’t move” Leo said as he got out of bed and headed towards the door.

Raph chuckled despite himself.

“Wouldn’t dream of it” Raph said to the now empty room, closing his eyes, he pulled the blanket over his head, shutting out the gloomy light radiating through the bedroom window completely while trying to create a cocoon of warmth.

Leonardo didn’t take long and returned within minutes, a bottle of water under his arm and a few cloth pieces in hand. He unzipped Raph’s duffle and dug through its content until he found the medication he was looking for.

“Okay Raph, sit up for a second please”

“Aye captain” Raph said and sat up a little faster than he intended, resulting in sudden dizziness that had the room spinning.

Properly medicated, Raphael laid back down determined to get back to sleep and the last thing he remembered before dozing off were the feeling of the cool, wet cloth on his forehead.

After making sure Raphael was asleep, Leo got dressed in a rush and made sure to bring the radio as he left the lodge, breathing in the clear morning air once he stepped outside on the porch. A layer of mist hung thickly and one could barely see the trees surrounding the property lines.

Leo didn’t have to wait long before Don’s voice came through the radio, Donnie wouldn’t be happy to hear about Raphael’s condition but it couldn’t be helped. Their plans had to be delayed and their team would have to stay put until Raph felt well enough to travel.

This conversation would not go over well.

Leo gathered everyone in the common area once they were all awake to inform of the change of events and the new instructions from the council. They were ordered to stay at their current location until Raph felt healthier and therefore had to secure the property from unwanted company. The displeasure was clear from his team, none of them liking the idea of staying longer than they’d planned for but Leo refused to argue against the council’s decision which had Armin voicing his concerns.

“Are you certain of this captain? I’m sure Raphael would be fine resting inside one of the vehicles as we drove, we shouldn’t let this slow us down” Armin explained.

“We’re heading into unknown territory, inhabited by people we know nothing about, all of us need to be alert and on guard, that includes Raphael. In his current state, he’ll have no chance of surviving an ambush”

“But staying here will put us all at a greater risk”

“Are you stating that I don’t have your best interest in mind?” Leo asked, his tone ice cold.

“No captain, but I’m afraid your better judgment might be clouded when it comes to your brother” Armin admitted, brows lifted in a suggestive manner with an implication of awareness.

Leo froze in place as Armin’s words sunk in, he wasn’t sure if the man was aware of the full extent regarding his relationship with Raphael but he did know that Armin was treading dangerously close to fining out. That would not do.

“I can assure you that I’m not favoring anyone over the other, this situation would’ve played out the same no matter which one of you laid sick in that bed, is that understood?” Leo demanded.

“Yes captain” The group said in unison before disbanding to get to work on their defenses.

Before Armin could leave the room, Leo grabbed a hold of the man’s elbow, hindering him from moving while speaking in a low, rough voice that could only be heard between the two of them.

“If you have any personal issues with me, we speak of them in private and not in front of the team or is that going to be an issue?”

Leo could see the hesitation on Armin’s face for a swift second before the man shook his head, then pulled his arm free and left the room without another word. Leo stared after him as he ground his teeth in annoyance, this was not a situation he’d prepared for and he felt himself having a hard time staying calm. Suddenly feeling restless, Leo quickly checked in on Raph before heading out to help where he was needed.

It took many hours of hard work but the results were rewarding and knowing no one would be able to take them by surprise had them all resting easier at night. Raphael’s fever didn’t break until their third night at the lodge and he’d been out of it for the most part, only remembering short periods of being awake for quick meals and bathroom breaks. Raph couldn’t remember when he’d been so completely knocked out by a fever before but he knew he hadn’t missed having one. Stiff and disoriented on the fourth morning, Raph finally managed to pull himself out of bed and join the others for breakfast in the common area, he felt Cannon’s gaze follow him as he sat down on one of the springy couches next to Leo closest to the recently lit fire.

“How’re you feeling?” Cannon asked and handed over a discolored mug containing the pitch-black liquid Raph struggled to function without.

“Better now, thanks” Raph responded as he took the mug in his hands, sipping slowly as he felt the caffeine doing its magic.

“We missed your loud beak around here” Cannon admitted with his signature smug look the man was known for.

“Y’all didn’t leave me behind so I guess that counts for somethin’” Raph said as he shrugged with an amused smile on his lips.

“Quick chat outside?” Raph asked his friend and got up from his seat, taking the mug with him.

“Sure” Cannon replied and followed Raphael out.

The friends sat down on the steps in front of the house, backs resting against the wooden railing as their eyes glanced over the yard, making sure everything was calm before focusing on each other.

“I just wanted to say ‘m sorry, I know I overreacted, You’re right that it’s been years since we chased after Bonnie like that and she has as much say in this as ya do, guess it just needed some time to settle in ya know?” Raph explained, eyeing his friend.

“Yeah, I get that” Cannon said, fingers scratching the stubble on his chin in thought before continuing.

“This wasn’t exactly the outing I was going for, I didn’t mean for you to find out like that”

“Mm, either way, I’m happy for ya man, you an’ her both an’ if the guys give ya any shit I’ve got your back”

“Appreciate it Raph… but you should get those mood swings checked out though, can’t be good for you, any hot flushes you’re not telling us about?” Cannon teased, grinning widely.

“Eat shit” Raph said with a chuckle and punched his friend playfully on the shoulder before continuing.

“So, we good?”

“Yeah man, we’re good, besides, life would be kind of stale without your overdramatic ass to keep us on our toes” Cannon said jokingly.

Raph rolled his eyes and rose to his feet, stomping back inside the house and slammed the door shut behind him. Cannon couldn’t help but laugh out loud at his friend's reaction.

“My point exactly” Cannon mumbled to himself as the sun decided to grace them with its presence once more.

* * *

Deciding to gain some of the time lost they took turns and drove through the night, so one day and five hours later they finally arrived at their final campground where they would spend the next upcoming weeks. Raphael could barely believe what he was seeing and gawked at the sights before him, Leo had surely outdone himself this time around. The first thing one noticed were the widely stretched, clear water lake which reflected the towering bright green tree-covered hills surrounding them and in the distance a single snow covered mountain ranged towards the light turquoise evening sky.

The hills would keep them secluded and hidden while also giving them a broad enough view to notice anything out of place before it was too late and thanks to the lake, potential intruders only had one direction to emerge from. Simply put, this place was perfect. Raphael nodded his approval as he walked down to the water, kneeling by the edge he washed his hands and then his face while finding the water to be surprisingly warm for their current season, not that he was complaining, it would make washing a hell of a lot more pleasant.

With great team effort their long term camp were established, large tents were pitched, the outdoor kitchen was built and stocked as well as a privy a short walk outside of camp for privacy and sanitary reasons. When most of the work was done with, everyone gathered by the fire as the beer barrels were brought forward for their disposal and Raph was happy to see that even Leo took part in the cheerful toast for once. Locking eyes with the captain for a brief moment, Raph flashed him a toothy grin before taking a mouthful of the bitter drink in his mug.

The night carried out in the same fashion, food was shared, stories were told and before they knew it, the stars shone bright, duplicating in the depth of the tranquil lake and the moon had entered its third quarter.

Leo was about ready to call it a night when he felt a nudge on his shoulder, facing his brother, Raph’s face were only inches away from his own.

“Walk?” Raph asked, nudging his brother’s shoulder again, snickering slightly.

Nodding in response, the brothers left their friends by the fire and found a secluded trail leading them away from their campsite but still keeping the lake close to their side as they walked.

“I actually meant to tell you this earlier but I guess it just slipped my mind but I’m glad to see you and Cannon worked things out, whatever it was you were fighting over” Leo said, hoping to pry some more information from his brother.

“Ya know us, we always solve our shit eventually”

“Yes, I guess you do” Leo replied, taking the hint that Raph wouldn’t explain the matter any further, after a second to gather his thoughts, not sure how to explain his next piece of information to his brother, Leo continued.

“We might have an issue with Armin, he’s been making some questionable claims about us”

Raph stiffened, not liking where this conversation was going.

“Yeah? Like what?” Raph asked.

“He seems to think that I’m favoring you…and maybe I do to some extent but not enough to risk our teams safety, it just bothers me that he would think something like that and now I can’t help but wonder if he knows more about us than he probably should” Leo explained.

Raph cleared his throat, suddenly feeling somewhat uncomfortable by the fact that he already knew Armin had found out about them but he wasn’t about to tell Leo that.

“You shouldn’t stress over it, Armin’s always got your back, maybe he’s jealous you’re spending so much of your time with me, he might just want ya all to himself” Raph sniggered, elbowing the leaner turtle teasingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

“If you knew his views you wouldn’t joke about that” Leo said, regretting his words immediately, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Already had a hunch, point taken” Raph said as they walked in silence for a couple of minutes before Raph spoke once more.

“Anyway…I can’t believe we actually got here without running into any major trouble, think we used up all our turtle luck on this one?” Raph asked humorously.

“Even if we did, we can handle the rest, luck or no luck” Leo stated confidently.

“Damn straight” Raph nodded and Leo couldn’t help but admire his brother’s profile, his strong jawline and the narrow, yet distinct scar above his lip.

Leo felt a sudden need to touch it or better yet, lick it. Shaking that thought aside, Leo focused on where he placed his feet at each step as the root covered trail were becoming more difficult to follow. The brothers had walked pretty far away from their camp by now but they could still see the small orange dot of their campfire from this distance.

Out of the way from praying eyes, without warning, Raph pushed Leo back against a tree trunk, eager fingers tearing at the fabric of Leo’s uniform as their lips pressed together. Leo moaned out his surprise when Raph’s tongue forced its way inside his mouth and he could feel his knees weaken as two strong hands groped his ass. Leo turned his head slightly as the kisses continued down his neck.

“Ah…R-aph, we need to stop taking chances like this” Leo stammered but Raphael’s grip only tightened.

“Push me off ya then Fearless, I dare ya” Raph growled as he stole Leo’s lips once more while letting their pants fall to the mossy ground.

Leo couldn’t, of course. Even if he didn’t want to admit it to himself or to anyone else, Raphael was his weak spot and therefore he gave in, every single time and Leo loved every second of it.

“That’s what I thought” Raph chuckled as he got down on his knees, pulling down the captain’s boxers in the process.

Leo held his breath as Raphael’s warm tongue licked from the base of Leo’s cock all the way to the tip before swallowing him down completely while one of his hands set to the task of massaging Leo’s balls.

“Nnh…y-es Raph, more”

Leo tried to keep himself steady against the tree he was leaning against, dazed while watching his lover swallow him down so hungrily, as if starved. When a thumb suddenly pressed against his hole, Leo lost it and couldn’t stop himself from cumming as hot semen overflowed in Raphael’s mouth, making it drip down his chin. Legs giving out from under him, Leo fell ass first on the moss, Raph got up and stepped out of his pant leg before positioning his own cock in line with Leo’s face. Feeling the throbbing flesh up against his lips, Leo opened wide as Raph slowly began to fuck his throat.

“Mmh fuck yeah…take all of it” Raph hissed and sped up.

The gagging noises Raph had come to love returned as he drove his cock further down and the contracting muscles surrounding him quickly became too much to handle. With a suppressed groan, Raph pulled out of Leo’s mouth and shot his load across the leaner turtles face. Spent, Raph pulled his pants back up and sat down next to his brother. Stunned where he sat, Leo had to close one of his eyes as he felt Raph’s cum dribble where it didn’t belong.

“Care to explain why you thought this was a good idea?” Leo asked, referring to his now messy face and shirt.

Raphael didn’t answer until his breath had settled a little, then he turned to look at his work and he couldn’t help the mischievous look from showing on his face as he answered.

“It was hot”

Shaking his head in disbelief, Leo got to his feet, pulled up his own pants and headed over to the water, washing the evidence of their actions off himself in the lake. Once he was done, Leo peaked over his shoulder at his brother who still sat where he’d left him, though Raph’s gaze wasn’t aimed in his direction but at the stars. Returning to his previous seat, Leo leaned against Raph’s side and looked up at the sky as well. What Leo had missed to notice as he washed was the vivid display of colorful lights playing across the night sky. Stunned for the second time in less than ten minutes, Leo could only gawk at its beauty.

“I gotta tell ya, you chose one hell of a spot Leo” Raph said, clearly as impressed as Leo felt.

“I didn’t exactly have this in mind when I picked this place but I’m definitely not second guessing my decision” Leo explained and felt lips on his temple as a strong arm draped over his shoulders, hugging him closer.

Raph waited for Leo to meet his eyes before he spoke, his tone sincere.

“We’ll deal with trouble if we get any alright? So try an’ relax a little an’ enjoy yourself, who knows when we get ta go on a job like this again”

“I would rather flatten any issues before they become trouble to begin with” Leo countered.

“An’ that’s why your heart’s gonna get ya before any of the dead ever get a chance, try an’ argue my point an’ I’ll bring Donnie into this”

“I declare defeat”

“You better” Raph finished but smiled despite himself.

Humming happily, Leo buried his beak in the crook of Raph’s neck, inhaled deeply and took in his brother’s distinctive scent.

“There isn’t much that can beat this though, the open road I mean. All the thrills and excitement, the strategic planning and the intoxicating rush of adrenaline at every unknown sound, I’ve come to love it and now I don’t think I can live without it” Leo explained, slightly embarrassed at his own honesty.

“Then we’ll keep at it as long as life lets us, I’ll make sure of it” Raph said and rested his head easily on top of Leo’s and then took a moment to listen in on his brother’s even breathing.

“We should probably head back before we fall asleep here” Raph said when he felt his eyelids becoming droopy.

Leo nodded in agreement and together the brothers made their way back to camp.

* * *

End of Part Three.


	4. Chapter 4

**War In Ruins**

Part Four

* * *

_**H** e was young, very young, early twenties perhaps, not to say that Raphael was that much older but still, at least Raph wasn’t dumb enough to run around, trying to survive on his own like this kid was. Leo, Raph, Casey and Armin had been on their way back to base when they noticed the young man who seemed to be scavenging an old warehouse, why Leo actually bothered to stop and talk to him, Raph had no clue but watching the kid quiver in fear at the sight of his older brother sure made up for it. _

_The kid was a mess to say the least, mess as in rolling around in dirt kind of messy, clothes stained and ripped, his greasy dark blonde hair now light gray from dust and by the look of it, he seemed to be recovering from a black eye, the bruise being a sickly yellow-ish color. The fun ended though when a gun was raised and aimed in Leo’s direction, if not for the clear uncertainty on the kid’s face, Raph might’ve been slightly nerved by the display. Instead he couldn’t help but find the whole thing annoying. Sighing heavily, Raph abandoned his seat in the car to join the gathering, if the kid wanted to point a gun around, Raph would rather have the gun aimed at himself than anyone else. Standing a head taller than his brother and a muscle mass that would put a body builder to shame, Raph knew he was a fright to witness and was reminded of the fact once the kid laid eyes on him. The gun fell from the kid’s shaking hand and landed on the stony ground with an echoing thud and Raph watched as the kid almost fell over himself while taking a few hurried steps backwards in a desperate attempt to increase the distance between them. Feeling pleased with himself and with a wicked grin on his face, Raph crossed his arms over his chest before speaking._

_“Well kid, gonna quit wasting our time an’ answer my brother’s questions?”_

_No response, the kid muted by fear._

_“Listen, we’re not here to harm you, we want to make sure you’re alright and offer any help if you need it, is there anyone else with you?” Leo asked, his brows furrowed in concern._

_The young man took a shaky breath as if gathering enough courage to speak._

_“W-what are you?” The kid finally asked, his hooded eyes wide open._

_“Ya answer our questions first and we’ll answer yours, deal?” Raph asked gruffly._

_Hesitantly, the kid nodded and Leo decided to start over now when he knew he had the young man’s full attention._

_“My name’s Leonardo, this is my brother Raphael and our friends Casey and Armin, what’s your name?” Leo asked, formal as ever._

_“Cannon” The young man responded after a moment of silence._

_Raph couldn’t hold back a snicker as he spoke._

_“Cannon? Shiver me timbers!” Raph exclaimed mockingly, earning an amused laugh out of Casey._

_“Raphael” Leo interrupted warningly but Raph only shrugged his shoulders in response while grinning widely. After making sure the mocking was done with, Leo continued._

_“Are you alone Cannon?” Leo repeated, not having received an answer the first time._

_Cannon shook his head, eyes misted, he pointed towards the staircase far inside the warehouse._

_“My little sister” the younger man said._

_“We have a base, strong walls and even stronger people behind the walls, would you and your sister like to go back with us?” Leo asked but spotting the uncertainty on Cannon’s face, Leo continued._

_“I’m speaking from experience when I say that you won’t last long on your own out here, you need people you can trust and we could be that for you, if you’ll let us” Leo finished, a friendly smile spread on his lips as he watched Cannon nod slowly in agreement._

_“Then let’s get your sister and get out of here alright?”_

_Cannon led the way up the stairs and into what used to be an administration office, scattered pieces of old bookshelves littered the floor and in one corner of the room laid an old, worn mattress and next to it stood a wooden chest, on top of the chest, a backpack and a plastic bag filled with water bottles but there was no other person in the room. Confused, the small group watched as Cannon collected his belongings and once he had everything, he opened the wooden chest and once the young man turned to face the group once more, their eyes came to rest on the beige urn with golden details in Cannon’s hands. No one said a word as they all grasped the situation. Cannon was holding on to his little sister’s ashes, the young man had no one left, he’d lost everyone he’d ever known and was truly and utterly alone._

_Raphael felt a twisting ache in his chest as all the pieces fell into place, the new world was rough but Raph had always had his family by his side, he couldn’t imagine fighting through all of this without them here but the fact that this kid still managed to keep going was, in Raph’s opinion, admirable and a sudden urge to protect overtook him as he studied the lost expression on the young man’s face._

_Leo was the first to break the silence as he took a few steps closer to Cannon, taking the bag of water bottles from his left hand in a mute offer to help._

_“Let’s get you home Cannon”_

* * *

Morning fell upon them sooner than they’d liked but within the hour Leo had gathered everyone around the makeshift table he’d set up for his briefing purposes.

“Alright everyone, listen up!” Leo called out to get his team’s undivided attention.

“It may not look like it but behind that hill you’ll find the ocean and along that coast line is the sea front hotel, also known as our unknown comrades’ base. Our orders are to study them before making any sort of contact, if ever at all, We’ll note any activity involving their base, who moves in and out, grasp an approximate number of occupants and so on. Basically everything to avoid unpleasant surprises” Leo paused to make sure everyone was following, pleased to see confident nods, he continued.

“On top of that hill there’s a watchtower that will give us a clear view over the coast line and their base. I have no clue of its condition but suppose it’s usable, we’ll set up a rolling schedule on guard up there, it should be about an hour car ride to get to the top and I’ll head up there myself today to make sure it’s clear”

“And what’ll we be doing in the meanwhile?” Bonnie interrupted.

“Besides working on our defenses you mean? Apparently, there’s a town connected to the hotel, which I found no information about when I did my research. For our safety, we’ll have to find out if the town’s under the hotel’s control or if the dead got to it first. I doubt our new friends would leave a town filled with the dead unattended though but either way, we’ll have to make sure” Leo explained.

“I volunteer to scout the town, if I go by myself I can avoid detection and return before sundown” Armin offered.

“If you’re confident you can handle it then the job is yours but if you run into any sort of trouble, you contact us immediately, understood?” Leo asked.

“Yes captain” Armin answered as he straightened his back.

“I’ll go with him” Raph stated, earning a couple of surprised gazes in turn before continuing.

“No question of your skills Armin but I could use a good stretch” Raph explained, raising an eye ridge in Leo’s direction, hoping his brother would get his underlying reasoning.

“Probably for the better, better chances when you look out for each other” Leo nodded as he wrote something down on a piece of paper in front of him.

Raph only shrugged but as his eyes landed upon Armin, he was met with a grim stare, the man clearly not happy with the turn of events and Raph had to suppress a pleased grin that threatened to show. If Armin wanted to stick his nose where it didn’t belong, Raph would happily return the favor. Childish? Yes but still damn amusing.

“Alright, so for the rest of you, defenses, alarms, traps, you know the drill by now, I’ll return from the watchtower in a couple of hours, Raphael and Armin, when you return I want a detailed map and notes of the information you’ve managed to gather, any questions?” Leo finished, the full sentence rushed in a single breath.

“Should I start setting up the schedule? Even if the watchtower isn’t usable, we could still find another lookout spot to work from” Bonnie asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Yes perfect, have it ready by the time I return and we can go over it then, dismissed” Leo said, smiling as everyone got to work.

Grabbing a folding chair, Leo took a seat by the table, sorting through and putting away the scattered papers. As Raph walked to leave and join Armin by the vehicles, Raph passed behind Leo’s back, speaking only loud enough for his brother to hear.

“I’ll watch him for ya, now relax” Raph said, patting Leo’s shoulder in passing.

“I will when you get back, be careful” Leo replied honestly, he couldn’t stress that last part enough.

Feeling a sudden rush of joy run through him, Raph gave a reassuring smile before leaving Leo to his task while a not so prude idea came to mind. He would have to pay extra attention while in town to find a suitable place.

Grinning to himself while working out the plan in his head, Raph got comfortable in the passenger seat, Armin got the car engine started and without confirming if Raph was ready to leave, steered the car on the road leading to town.

Leonardo watched as the car sped off, brow ridges furrowed in disbelief, the nagging feeling in his gut that told him that something was off suddenly grew stronger as the car disappeared in the distance. Breathing in deeply, Leo calmed himself by keeping the radio close, Raph would let him know the same second if anything went wrong. Pushing those thoughts aside, Leo chose to focus on his work ahead instead. Grabbing a bag filled with essentials, a fully loaded rifle and the second set of car keys, Leo wasted no daylight and drove off as well, taking direction towards the hills and the watchtower.

* * *

The pair parked a little distance outside of town, not wanting the sound of the engine to bring unwanted attention, and set to walk the last bit, per usual. The road was muddy as if rain had just ceased falling, boots sank slightly as they walked, making their steps louder than they would’ve liked. Watching the town from afar as they slowly got closer, Raph let out a frustrated sigh, like most towns they ran across on their missions, this one was just as run down and Raph already knew that looting would be a waste of time since anything of value probably had been scavenged a long time ago. 

“So any reason you were so eager to check out town by yourself?” Raph asked, for no other reason than to annoy the shorter man walking in front of him.

“I already explained my reasoning, less the number, the easier to avoid detection” Armin answered, not bothering to look at Raph as he spoke.

“Sure, doesn’t explain why ya wanna be in town so bad though”

“I have no obligation to answer to you” Armin stated.

“You’re right, ya don’t but ta Leo you do so questioning him probably isn’t the smartest thing to be doin’”

“As I see it, the only one defying the captain’s orders on a daily basis is you so if I were you, I would practice what I preach before trying to correct others”

“Excuse me?” Raph said, a lot louder than he’d meant to.

“Keep your voice down” Armin hushed, by this point they were walking past the first couple of houses in town and so Raph decided to save the conversation for another time.

The pair searched each building one by one, looking for anything worth saving while spying for any indication that the buildings were being in use but to no ones surprise, there was nothing. While working their way through a grocery store, Raph let out a yawn after staring at the empty shelves along the walls, not out of tiredness but of boredom and he couldn’t shake the nagging voice in his head telling him he was wasting time being there. Raph was about to ask Armin if he was ready to get going when he noticed a dull thunderous noise that seemed to glow louder by the second. Looking out the window, Raph froze in place by the sight as his heart hammered in his chest, then something made out of glass connected and broke on the back of his head with a forceful hit. Raph stumbled forward with a loud grunt and fell to his knees as his vision gave out for a second by the impact.

“You and your brother will burn, you are both soulless freaks of demonic nature and serve no other purpose than committing sins and deceit!” Armin said, the tone in his voice showed obvious disgust at he spat on the stone floor next to Raphael. 

When Raph’s eyesight returned to normal, he watched as Armin ran out of the grocery store, leaving him behind. Then he heard it, the clicking, disturbingly close. Scrambling to his feet, Raph ran out of the store as well, eyes darting around trying to figure out in which direction Armin had ran but the man was already long gone. Standing on the sidewalk, Raph dared a second look towards the persistent clicking and screaming and all thought of Armin went to the back of his mind at the sight, survival instinct taking its place. A dark veil of infected came charging at him as he was spotted and with lack of any better options, Raph sprinted in the opposite direction, with adrenaline shaken hands, he grabbed his radio, too stressed to check the channel, Raph pushed the button and yelled into it.

“Guys, herd, massive- fuck!”

The radio slipped from his sweaty palm and fell to the ground as Raph kept running, eyes desperately searching for somewhere to hide as he fought off any rotten who got too close and tore at his arms. Spotting a motel sign, Raph set course towards it, finding the motel’s staircase, Raph ran up the steps, taking two at a time and as he found an open door at the end of the corridor, Raph threw himself inside the room, kicking the door shut behind him and without thinking, hauled one of the single beds to block off the entrance before hurriedly pulling the curtains closed while silently praying that the infected hunting him would keep running. Hearing the rotten jump over the railing and loud thuds as they landed, Raph let out the breath he’d been holding, with no hope of getting out anytime soon, Raph sat down on the dusty carpeted flooring and tore off his shirt to examine the bleeding scratches on his arms. They stung but at least there were no bite marks, putting his shirt back on, Raph sighed as he realized there was nothing more he could do but wait, for the herd to disband or for his team to find him, either way, it was a waiting game.

* * *

_Leonardo threw the last shovel of sand aside as he finished digging the pit that would fit the body of his fallen friend. Pulling the limp body in place, Leo’s eyes misted as he couldn’t believe he was actually doing this, April and Casey were truly gone, evidence clear as day laid before him, only April would never get to be buried, her remains consumed and forever lost in the flames._

_Picking up the shovel he’d previously thrown aside, Leo began refilling the pit with the sand he’d just dug up, covering the corpse as he worked. Lost in his tormented thoughts, Leo missed to hear his younger brother coming up behind him. Brought back by the calling of his own name, he paused to look at his purple-banned brother. Donatello’s breathing was raspy, as his own but besides that, he looked to be doing okay, at least physically, else could be said about his own appearance. Not having had a chance to wash yet, Leo were still covered in filth from his actions the night before, leaving him a sickly dark brown instead of the leafy green they all were used to see._

_Donnie had to cough and catch his breath from the short walk before he finally felt well enough to speak._

_“I didn’t want you to go through this alone” Donnie explained, voice barely louder than a whisper._

_“How’s Raphael doing?” Leo asked, ignoring the clenching ache of his heart, trying to focus on something other than the cold body in the pit._

_“He’s stable, we’ll have to keep him sedated until most of his shell is healed, luckily, his mutated genes should help speed up the process” Donnie explained._

_“But other than his shell you didn’t find anything else, he’s going to be alright? He’ll make a full recovery?” Leo asked, not daring to be too hopeful._

_“I don’t know Leo, we don’t fall off buildings on a regular basis, at least not far enough to actually collide with the ground, the only reason Raph is still alive right now is because his shell took most of the impact, we won’t know for sure until we wake him up in a few weeks”_

_Distraught, Leo rubbed his neck, it was in fact a miracle that their brother had survived a fall like that. A miracle that his limbs weren’t crushed to splinters or his skull caved in, the relief he felt when he found Raph’s weak beating pulse beneath his fingertips had almost made his stomach turn but with no time to linger, Leo had hauled both his brother and friend back to the van. How he’d managed it, he couldn’t remember but he’d made it happen and his brother’s heart was still beating because of it._

_“I can’t do this anymore Donnie”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_“We can’t keep playing by the rules while the rest of the world doesn’t” Leo said and without a second thought, he unclasped his harness, his blood stained swords fell off his shell and once caught in his hand, he threw them down the pit an buried them along with their friend._

_“I’m done” Leo stated, finding his brother nodding in acknowledgement before they both turned around and left the freshly marked grave behind._

* * *

Leonardo pulled the handbrake and shut off the car’s engine, the dirt road ahead no longer able to support heavy vehicles and a short walk would be needed to finally reach the watchtower ahead. While taking a deep breath, Leo leaned back in his seat, giving the noise he’d been making a chance to travel through the hills forest and alarm any stray rotten that could be roaming nearby. Five minutes passed before Leo finally got out from the safety of his car, loaded rifle in hand and began the hike towards the top of the hill. Somewhat out of breath from the steep climb, Leo finally spotted the watchtower standing farther than the treetops, aged and neglected. Leo carefully tested each step of the towers stairs as he went to make sure it could support his weight. The view that met him at the top was stunning to say the least, looking past the blanket of vivid green, the oceans deep blue stretched beyond the horizon. Working past his stunned amazement, Leo’s eyes tracked the coastline and came to rest on the seafront hotel, their mission’s final destination.

Suddenly, not being given enough time to properly react, erratic hands grabbed his shoulders from behind, nails like claws dug into muscle, leaving trails of hot seeping blood in their path, then followed the all too familiar clicking noise and dread ran through Leo’s entire body. Acting on reflex, Leo spun around, facing his attacker with his fist already swinging, connecting and breaking the rotten’s jaw but not paying attention to his footing, the wooden flooring of the tower vanished beneath his right boot and with nothing to hold on to, Leo fell helplessly backwards down the stairs. He let out a loud grunt as he landed shell first on the root covered ground, the rifle breaking under his bulk, ears were ringing and his vision was blurry as Leo felt warmth running down the back of his head, the signals of pain slowly connecting with his brain. As his vision cleared, Leo’s eyes spotted the moving body at the top of the stairs before it too, fell down in a heap of tangled limbs, the unmistakable sound of bones breaking in the landing had Leo’s gut turning. Even with arms and legs broken, the clicking refused to cease but with the rotten unmoving, Leo gave himself a moment to catch his breath and close his eyes, trying to ease the throbbing ache from his bleeding head. One deep breath and the hands from earlier were once again cutting into his flesh, ripping wide gashes on Leo’s arms as he struggled to keep the rotten’s head as far away from himself as possible. Taking a firm grip around the dead’s neck with one hand the other reached for his dagger in his belt, with no time to properly aim, Leo pierced the rotten’s cerebellum and the nails tearing at his skin immediately lost their fierce power as the hands became uncoordinated. Not missing his advantage, Leo stabbed through the skull again and again until the rotten finally were what it should’ve been a long time ago, dead.

Breathing heavily, feeling his heart hammering in his chest along with the throb from his head, Leo sat back on the ground, eyes locked on the dagger now stuck in the cranium of the corpse. Getting back on his feet too quickly, the world spun slightly in protest of the rapid movement and Leo blinked, puzzled by his sudden craving for a nap. Leo let out a few coughs and noticed the sting in his eyes, spores most likely, he needed the water he’d left in his car. Leo’s thoughts were interrupted by the radio on his belt.

“Leo, are you there? Answer me dammit!” Cannon shouted, Leo could hear the slight panic in his friend’s voice, something was wrong.

“I hear you Cannon” Leo replied into the radio

“It’s Raph, he said a herd rushed town and then the connection broke, we can’t get a signal trough to his channel, they need our help Leo!”

“ I’ll be there as fast as I can, stay where you are and keep trying the radio, no one leaves camp, understood?”

“Crystal, just hurry”

Leo didn’t bother answering back, instead he retrieved his dagger from the skull of the corpse now laying in a puddle of its own blood and pus before sprinting down the hill to were his car still stood parked, all while cursing himself for not trusting his gut when he’d clearly felt something was off earlier that morning but still let his brother run into town and with a man who they’d started to feel wary towards none the less. He poured the content of his water bottle over his head and arms, rinsing of as much of the blood and spores as possible before getting in the driver’s seat, twisting the key had the car running in a heartbeat and with determination, Leo drove down the dirt road, leading back to camp.

* * *

_Three weeks passed and Raphael’s shell finally healed enough to cease sedation. Donnie had warned his two conscious brothers of the damages that could reveal themselves ones Raphael was awake but unfazed, Leo chose to sit by his stronger brother’s side continuously, nonetheless. Call it brotherly love, concern for a team member or a confession of the underlying feelings Leo couldn’t place, either way, Leo’s need to keep a close eye on his brother’s recovery was a must. Two days later Raph finally started showing signs of waking up, positioned on his plastron, face turned to the side to keep any pressure off his still healing shell and stirring as if uncomfortable, Leo held on tightly to his brother’s hand as he watched Raphael’s eyes slowly flutter open. When the amber eyes finally managed to focus on his own, Leo felt his throat close up as his eyes stung and watered, feeling the stress from the past couple of weeks slip away with every ticking second. Raph looked confused but aware and the morphine seemed to be doing its job considering his brother didn’t look to be in any major amount of pain._

_“Hi Raph, are you with me?” Leo asked, pushing past the lump in his throat, making it difficult to speak clearly._

_The corner of Raph’s lip twitched upwards before his eyes rolled back and he was unconscious once more. Concerned, Leo turned his gaze towards his purple-banded brother, his eyes asking the questions he couldn’t word out loud._

_“He’s going to be in and out of it for a while, its normal, this is good” Donnie explained, reassuringly. Leo nodded in turn, leaning back in his seat, Raph’s hand still resting in his own._

_It was way passed sundown when Raphael decided to wake up for the second time, the brothers were alone in the infirmary for the first time that day, Donnie having other matters needing his attention but Leo didn’t mind, Leo’s head was resting on top of the cot next to their joined hands and studied his brother’s face closely as Raph’s eyes slowly opened and looked around aimlessly, hazed over but aware all the same. Leo pulled their twined hands up to his face, nuzzling them slowly as Raph’s body shifted and not sure how long his brother would be awake this time, Leo simply waited._

_“Leo?” Raphael asked after a few minutes confusion, the familiar rasp in his younger brother’s voice fired shots of relief through him and for the first time in weeks, Leo finally dared to believe that everything would be alright but along with the relief came an unbearable amount of guilt, for not being able to save his brother from the burning building and for not even noticing the fire until it was too late. With the calm finally falling around them, the inner turmoil became louder and meaner, the voices in his head yelling for him to step up and do better to protect his family but Leo knew that no matter how dearly he wished for do-overs in this lifetime, he had to live with each harmful and near deadly consequence of each decision he made. April, Casey and Raphael had paid the price this time, two dead and the third barely escaping with his life and Leo would never forgive himself for the pain his brother now had to endure because of his mistake but hearing Raphael’s voice calling his name forced the mean voices to subside, his overprotective nature taking full front._

_“Yes Raph, I’m here” Leo answered and couldn’t keep a stray tear from rolling down his cheek._

_“Annoying…”Raph grunted and let out a rushed breath of air, Leo laughed despite himself, his tense shoulders relaxing while feeling happy to be a nuisance to his brother for once._

_“How are you feeling?” Leo asked, caressing Raph’s arm gently._

_“Tired, what’s the damage?” Raph said, his voice a whisper as he was fighting to stay awake._

_“Your shell took most of the impact but it’s healing up nicely, are you in any pain? should I get Donnie?” Leo asked and rose from his seat, ready to run the second his brother said the word._

_“Nah, sit your melodramatic ass down an’ don’t move, your makin’ the room spin” Raph muttered grumpily._

_“Glad your attitude’s still intact” Leo replied dryly as he returned to his seat._

_“Eat shit” Raph stated as his eyes closed but Leo didn’t miss the amused grin spreading on his brother’s lips, making his gut flutter happily at the sight._

_Leo knew he should keep the fire off his tongue but also knew he had to mention it for his own peace of mind and while studying his brother’s relaxed frown lines, Leo figured there was no time like the present._

_“I should’ve fought harder to get you and Casey out, I should’ve stayed and kept looking, I’m so sorry Raph”_

_“What, so ya could’ve fallen off the buildin’ with us? I don’t wanna hear it Leo, ya did what ya could… how are the rest doing?”_

_Leo had been so focused on his brother’s awakening that he hadn’t thought through how to break the news of their fallen friends, bracing himself and sitting a little straighter on his chair, Leo cleared his throat before explaining what had happened after Raphael’s world had turned dark. The stronger turtle’s expression turned grim as he learned the state of their current reality, their closest family friends were dead and gone forever, all that remained were their final made out resting place and vivid memories._

_“I’ll show you their grave as soon as your shell has healed enough” Leo explained._

_“Not like they’ll be goin’ anywhere”_

_Leo hummed, not sure what to say to that, what can you really say in a situation like this? No one teaches you how to handle grief and everyone struggles to find their own way to get closure, the only common knowledge is that healing takes time but that doesn’t do much to mend the current pain. After a brief moment of silence, Leo decided that changing topics probably were for the better, for now._

_“Think we can agree on no more free falling?” Leo asked._

_“Abso-fucking-lutely”_

_Leo chuckled at the response and nodded, resting his head back down on the cot, needing to feel his brother close without making it too obvious. A comfortable silence fell around them and Leo found himself soothed by Raph’s deep, even breathing, thinking his brother had gone back to sleep, Leo jumped as the stronger turtle’s voice broke the peace._

_“You should go an’ get Donnie…”_

_Leo could hear the strain in his brother’s tone and looking into Raphael’s eyes Leo noticed something he normally never saw in his tough brother, fear._

_“What’s wrong? ” Leo asked, tone serious and knowing he wouldn’t like the answer._

_“…I can’t move my legs”_

* * *

Leo arrived back in camp to find everyone gathered outside of their meeting tent, heads turned towards him as he got out of the car to join them, silently praying for good news but by the look on their faces, knew he wouldn’t get any.

“Any word?” Leo asked once he was close enough.

Cannon took in the appearance of their captain, arms covered in dark crimson, sweat stained through his shirt around the neckline and there was a wobble to his step, concerned, Cannon slowly shook his head. Leo noticed Cannon’s fists clenching and unclenching rapidly, the man clearly agitated.

“If a herd is passing through town right now there isn’t much we can do but hope that Armin and Raph managed to find hiding in time but Cannon and I will go scout just to be sure, the rest of you guard camp in case any strays somehow would end up here” Leo explained, leaving no room for any objections and headed back towards the vehicle, Cannon following closely behind.

They reached the outskirts of town in no time but what they saw looked far from promising, dark contours of the dead were like ants in the distance, thousands of them running around aimlessly, making it impossible to get any closer than they were now without getting noticed and endanger themselves.

“How can anyone possibly hide from that?” Cannon asked, temporarily stunned by the sight.

Leo could only stare in horror at the large number of infected now occupying town, screams and clicking echoed along with the sound of glass shattering and metal bending as the dead destroyed everything in their path, searching franticly after anything to prey upon.

“Don’t underestimate them Cannon, Raphael has survived far worse than this” Leo said, not only to encourage his friend but also to remind himself not to lose faith, Raphael acted on instinct when faced with danger and with a herd this size, they must have heard it long before it swarmed town, giving them enough time to find a safe hiding spot…right?

“There’s nothing we can do for now, we’ll have to wait for the herd to move along or at the very least settle down so we can stealth our way through” Leo explained.

“There’s gotta be something we can do for them!” Cannon yelled, emotions running wild but the same moment the words left Cannon’s mouth, a single firework exploded high above the rising mountains beyond town, shortly followed by another and then there was an even pattern of different colored fireworks painting the sky. In amazement, Leo watched as the infected ran each other down to get to the exploding noises, abandoning the trashed and broken remains of town.

“I guess this answers our questions about the seafront hotel’s involvement in this town” Leo observed as the last firework blew off, sprinkling green light and smoke as it flashed in the evening haze.

“Cannon I need you back with the rest of the team, I’ll go find Raph and Armin” Leo said, pulling the car keys out of his pocket and held them out for his friend to take.

“What? No, you’ll need my help, you have no idea what or who you might run into!” Cannon said, eyes wide and Leo could read the distress clear on the man’s face.

“What I need is for you to be with the others in case anyone from the seafront should end up in our camp, now quit wasting time and follow the orders you’ve been given, I’ll contact you as soon as I’ve found them” Leo stated, patience running thin and in no mood for further arguing, he threw the keys at Cannon, pulled his dagger from his belt and started walking towards the ruins of town with confident steps.

* * *

Raphael had almost jumped out of his shell the moment the first firework went off, at first he wasn’t sure what he’d heard but as the pattern started up and the dead began a death race for the hills, it all made sense and now was a good time to leave but as he stood and dusted himself off, Raph took a swift look around the room he’d taken hiding in.

The motel room where decorated as if taken straight from an 80’s movie, wooden panel walls and carpeted flooring. The two single beds each had washed-out flower patterned overcasts, stained and worn under the layer of dust. The brown carpet had spots faded to grey along with multiple holes and tears but not considering the esthetics of the room, it looked useable enough for the plans now taking shape in Raphael’s mind, he would have to bring Leo back here with him next time, should be secure enough and far away from prying eyes. Happy with the turn of events, Raph opened one of the curtains, pushed the window up slowly and peaked outside, seeing no one he jumped out and set course for the stairs while trying to remember where he’s dropped his radio, hopefully it was still in one working piece, which would make getting out of town a hell of a lot easier. Armin could rot in hiding for all he cared and if it weren’t for the fact that Armin had ran off with the keys, Raph would already had been running towards their car, which were probably gone already. Searching the area where he’d last held the radio in hand, Raph let out a frustrated sigh as he found nothing, no sight of any scattered radio pieces littering the ground anywhere. Donnie was going to tear him a new one once he found out.

“Great…” Raph muttered, then he spotted the front doors of a bar standing wide open across the street, Raph decided that a look around while on his way out wouldn’t hurt, especially now when it seemed like the herd wasn’t coming back.

Entering the bar, Raph could already tell there weren’t much left to salvage, if anything at all. Stools and tables, either broken or simply flipped over, broken glass from destroyed bottles and old newspapers covered the area surrounding the bar, spilled liquids long absorbed by the floorboards and the dim lightning inside the space had the bar looking overall gloomy. Stepping behind the bar counter, Raph unenthusiastically began searching the cupboards for anything that could be of interest but as his eyes came to rest on an unopened and untouched bottle of bourbon hidden away on one of the bottom shelves, Raph had a hard time believing what he was seeing.

“Don’t mind if I fucking do” Raph said, taking the bottle and placed it on top of the counter, twisting the screw cap and then lifted it to his lips, taking a mouthful, enjoying the spice as the burning liquid made its way down his throat. It had been years since he’d had strong liquor, back when his father still bothered to nag about his health, while not missing the lectures, the bourbon had been like a lost friend long forgotten and now reunited, Raph could only indulge in the moment. A couple more drinks later Raph felt his face heating up as all stress slowly slipped away, the world becoming a more decent place by the minute. Even though relaxed, Raph’s hearing was still on high alert and so when the backdoor of the bar creaked open, Raph didn’t waste a single thought before pulling his revolver, aiming directly at the incoming intruder.

The shock and relief Leo felt as he spotted his brother on the other side of the room by the bar were quickly clouded by the annoyance of seeing the gun in Raphael’s hand, pointing right at him and his mood only soured further as he noticed the activity that had his brother glued to the bar instead of trying to contact them to let them know he was alive.

Leo’s eyes narrowed as he crossed the room and squared his shoulders while watching Raphael lower his weapon, holstering it.

“The hell happened to ya?” Raph asked, referring to the cuts on his brother’s arms beneath the ripped sleeves.

Ignoring the question, Leo spoke hard and flat.

“I don’t know if you missed the herd that ran through town less than an hour ago, yet here you are waving your gun around, how many times do I have to tell you-”

“Don’t even fucking start Leo, I didn’t pull the damn trigger alright so just lay off!” Raph interrupted, taking another swig from the bottle which only infuriated Leo more.

“Why didn’t you contact us once the infected were gone? why are you not in your car on your way back to camp by now? Do you have any idea how worried everyone’s been and still are, is it too much to ask for you to show some damn respect?” Leo said, voice rising with every question, his frustrations pouring out of him with every word.

“Radio’s gone an’ Armin’s gone with the car keys, I could’ve taken a stroll back to camp but you would’ve bitched about that decision too so figured I might as well stay put until you found me” Raphael said, forcing his own temper down, his story was only partially true, he would’ve made it out of town eventually but saying it wouldn’t have made any difference, his brother would be pissed either way.

“Armin’s dead?” Leo asked once Raph’s words had sunk in.

“Nah but he will be when I find him”

“What happened?”

“Fucked me over an’ ran off, oh an’ I believe he called us ‘soulless freaks of demonic nature’, dunno about you but I kinda like it” Raph said sarcastically and then jumped up and took a seat on the counter, legs hanging off the edge.

Leo came to stand right next to Raphael and eyed the bottle between them questionably.

“And this?” Leo finally asked, pointing at the bottle.

“Oh, this is just a little treasure I happened to dig out, nice huh?”

“No Raph, why are you drinking it here? Don’t you get how dangerous that is?”

“Leo, just stop, I’m fine, everything’s fine” Raph reassured, though soon realizing that was the wrong thing to say, earning him a punch on his arm.

“It’s not _fine_ Raphael and I can’t believe you care so little about your own safety!” Leo said while giving Raph’s arm another punch.

Jumping off the counter, Raph’s hands grabbed Leo’s hips and pulled the leaner turtle towards himself, making their thighs press together in the process.

“Well, you’re worrying enough for the both of us so I kinda don’t have ta” Raph replied with a toothy grin. Dodging a third blow from his brother, Raph spun them around, pinning Leo between himself and the bar, hands now resting on top of the counter on each side of the captain’s middle, leaving their mouths only inches apart.

“Jokes aside, I can always count on ya to find me when I’m lost, get me out of trouble when I mess up and get me up an’ walking when I’m hurt, just ta mention a few reasons why I love ya so goddamn much” Raph explained, voice just above a whisper as he felt Leo relax in his hold, saw his eyes soften by his words and if he weren’t mistaken, there seemed to be a darker shade to his brother’s face than normal, meaning the captain was embarrassed and Raph couldn’t help but find it thrilling to know he could still make Leo feel that way. Cupping the leaner turtle’s cheek with his hand, Raph leaned forward and stole an eager kiss, humming happily when Leo’s lips moved along with his own. Leo’s arms came up to snake around Raph’s shoulders, tugging at him to bring them even closer together as Leo’s lips parted, granting the stronger turtle’s tongue free passage to explore and twine with his own. Fighting the urge to bend Leo over the counter and pound into him on the spot, Raph slowly pulled back, breaking the kiss and chuckled at his brother’s confused expression. Snapping the radio from Leo’s belt, Raph spoke into it and waited for anyone to answer, it didn’t take long before Cannon’s voice came through.

“Raph? Are you alright? Is Leo with you? Are you on your way back?” Cannon asked in a rush of words that almost blended together.

“Yeah we’re good Cannon look, since the herd is gone we’re gonna keep on looking alright? So don’t wait up an’ if ya see Armin, lock him up an’ we’ll deal with him in the morning” Raph explained.

“What did he do?”

“Later Cannon, that’s all” Raph finished and returned the radio to Leo’s belt along with a soft kiss on his neck, which the leaner turtle rewarded with a low moan.

“We really should head back though” Leo said, previous concerns coming back to mind.

“They can survive a couple of hours without us Leo, follow me” Raph said and turned, leading the way towards the exit.

Back outside the brothers avoided the open street as Raph led the way back to the motel and when finally reaching the window of the room he’d had been hiding in earlier, the red-banded brother gestured for Leo to climb through first and once his brother was inside, Raph swiftly followed him.

“Charming” Leo said, voice dripping with sarcasm as he took in the interior of the room.

Raphael closed the window and pulled the curtain closed behind them, then, without warning, pushed Leo up against the closest wall, the wooden panel creaked in protest but Raph didn’t care as his lips locked with Leo’s again. Hands explored while tongues fought for dominance, heavy breaths and moans soon filled the small motel room as eager fingers struggled to get each button opened and each piece of clothing off. Stumbling together across the room, lips still locked in a heated kiss, they both fell back on the bed, springs protesting under their weight. Leo’s legs spread wide to make room for his brother between them on the slim single bed. Wetting his fingers generously with his own saliva, Raph reached down between Leo’s legs and pushed a single digit deep inside his brother, soon followed by another one as he worked to prep his lover.

“Touch yourself” Raph hissed into Leo’s ear slit and as if in trance, Leo followed orders without question and wrapped his hand around his hardening member and stroked it firmly up and down, the overwhelming pleasure from both ends had him whimpering with need as Raph moved up on the bed and aligned his own hard shaft with Leo’s mouth and as the leaner turtle’s lips parted eagerly, Raph head jerked back as the wet warmth of his lovers mouth surrounded his pulsating cock. Leo swallowed as much as he could without aggravating his gag reflex as his hand kept pumping himself in tact with his working mouth. Raph let the captain work him for a couple of minutes before he pulled away and settled back between Leo’s legs, spreading them wide and planted a few kisses around his knee and down Leo’s shin. Watching Leo pant and toss under him sent delicious jolts straight to his crotch, deciding foreplay was done with, Raph slowly breached Leo’s hole, burying himself deep as he leaned forward, supporting his weight on his forearms and as he began a steady pace, Raph kissed Leo again. This time the kiss was slow, yet passionate as Leo’s arms tangled around the stronger turtle’s neck, drowning in sensation and the relief of having his lover back with him, safe, Leo couldn’t hold himself back as the bed fell away from under him, his climax so strong it felt like he was hovering on thin air. When the world finally came back to him, Leo felt his brother’s last few irregular thrusts before Raph collapsed on top of him, completely spent and breathing heavily.

“Wow…” Raph breathed into his lover’s neck and chuckled softly at his brother’s fast beating pulse.

They laid in complete silence as they recovered, feeling no need for verbal words as their actions made all the talking for them, hands stroking and nuzzling, just enjoying the feeling of being close. When Raph’s arms began to protest, he pulled out and got off the bed, then went to push the other single bed away from the door he’d barricaded earlier and move it up next to the other bed Leo was in, making it into a double bed and laid back down, welcoming Leo as his brother came to cuddle up in his arms.

“Mmm…I love how you love me Raphael” Leo murmured as he shifted slightly to get comfortable, kissing the larger turtle's shoulder before resting his head there.

“Bobby Vinton” Raph answered sleepily and it took Leo a minute to grip the context but when he did, he smiled and nodded slowly.

“Impressive”

“You’d be surprised by the wide spread of genres Donnie’s got playing on the old record player in his office, some songs just stick with ya I guess” Raph explained, the corner of his mouth lifting by the memory.

“Well, song or not, I still mean it and I love you” Leo said while the top of his finger traced one of the veins bulging from Raph's bicep.

“Ya sure? Prove it” Raph challenged, grinning as Leo sat up and straddled him.

“Oh I plan to”

* * *

The brothers found the car Raph and Armin had arrived with still parked were they’d left it the next morning and after a somewhat difficult task of hot-wiring, they managed to get the car running and when pulling up by the camp the brothers found it unnervingly quiet. No one came to greet them and not even the campfire was lit, instantly cautious, the brothers got out from their vehicle, weapons ready and loaded as they rounded one of the larger tents and once reaching the other side, Leo froze in place as he found the rest of his team on their knees, arms bound behind their backs and gags in their mouths. Around them stood maybe two dozen of heavily armed men and women, each of them taking turn in making sarcastic remarks and taunting gestures. 

Then strong footsteps came up behind them and Leo didn’t even have to turn around to know there were firearms aimed at their shells. If Leo had been alone he would’ve dared the risk of fighting back and try to escape but with guns pointed at the rest of his team, he had no choice but to stand his ground. Leo could hear a low growl leave his brother as they were forced to raise their arms in surrender, they were quickly stripped of all their weapons and then ordered to kneel beside the rest of their group. Leo could feel the stares from both strangers and friends burn into him as he silently counted the armed men guarding them and immediately felt disheartened by the odds playing against them. An hour passed with the group still kneeling on the ground, Leo tried to shift subtly to try and get some blood flow to his tingling feet but he was at the very least happy to not have his hands bound. Raphael had not uttered a single word since they’d been ordered to the ground which was worrying and Cannon was keeping his gaze down, avoiding eye contact with everyone. This wasn’t what he’d planned, he was certain no one would be able to find them and they were supposed to be the ones with an advantage Leo thought as his fists clenched. His thoughts were interrupted shortly after by the sound of a quad bike pulling up next to them with two figures riding on top of it. Leo immediately recognized Armin sitting behind the taller human in the front. His eyes were covered and both arms and legs were bound together by a thick rope and it didn’t take long for the pieces to come together, Armin had betrayed them and given away their location. The man in front of Armin jumped off the quad bike and straightened his jacket, he was tall and muscular but old, he had defined wrinkles around piercing green eyes and both his blonde hair and beard had begun its change towards white. Kicking up dirt as he walked, the man came to stand in front of the blue-banded turtle’s kneeling form and waited for Leo to meet his eyes.

“Oh shit” the man said while studying Leo up and down before continuing.

“Evening captain, name’s Gerald, you know I admit that I thought your little tied up friend over there was pulling my leg when he told me about his amphibian captain but here you are” Gerald said and pointed in Armin’s direction.

“Reptile” Leo corrected but before he could blink, a fist crushed his beak, making his head snap to the side and blood ooze from his nostrils.

Raph’s immediate reaction was to attack the tall man in front of them but as soon as he moved, a rifle struck his temple and while it’d hurt, it also reminded him of the weapons aimed not only at himself but the rest of the team, leaving him with no choice but to calm himself and stay down.

“People who constantly feel the need to prove others wrong are so extremely tiring, don’t you agree captain?” Gerald asked ironically as Leo tried to wipe as much of the blood off his face as possible.

“Now, as much as I’m enjoying our conversation, I still believe it’s time for us to get down to business or would anyone like to say something before we start?” Gerald eyed everyone on the ground questionably but when he got no response, his lips pulled upwards in amusement by their smooth submission.

“Good…”

* * *

End of part Four.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank you for all your kind words so far, I’m having so much fun writing this story and it makes me equally happy to hear you’re enjoying reading it as well!  
> 


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